New Captain N: Warp Zone
by RB3
Summary: This is Captain N for modern times. Kevin Keene is a high school swimming champ and avid lover of video games. One day, he is dragged into Videoland, the video game multiverse along with his mother to become the Game Master. The seal on the warps are fading and the House of Power needs allies should the worse happen. Kevin and his mother volunteer to help out.
1. Exp 1 - The Game Master

Disclaimer:

Captain N was produced by Nintendo and DIC Entertainment. The Wii, Zapper, and Power Glove were produced by Nintendo. World of Warcraft was produced by Blizzard.

**New Captain N: Warp Zone  
By: RB3  
Explorers of Videoland 1: The Game Master**

Welcome to Videoland, a vast series of universes where the worlds of video games come to life. From the grim, dystopian worlds of a first person shooter to the strange and whimsical worlds of a role playing game, all existed as separate sub-worlds and universes within the greater Videoland. Linking these worlds together was the series of interdimensional gateways known the warps. Thanks to the warps, travelling to a new world was as simple as walking through a doorway.

However, there existed a world which linked all the others. In ancient times, Charles Power discovered this hub world, which was the heart of Videoland. He had built his home over this massive array of warps and used them to carry out trade between worlds. He amassed such wealth that he ascended to nobility. However, it wouldn't be long before he learned of dangers from these myriad worlds. Fearing the day his warp hub would be used as a tool for evil, he had the warps sealed, isolating Videoland's worlds from each other.

For countless years, the seal stood, guarded by the Power family for generations. Eventually, King Charles XXI came to power as the king of Videoland's hub world. His rule was marked by benevolence and wisdom, but age caught up to him like all humans. Fortunately, he had two heirs who could take his throne when the time came. They were Princess Lana Power, and Charles XXI's chosen successor, Prince Lyle Power. However, though his reign was far from over, it would also be marked by great turmoil...

A young man with unkempt blond hair gazed upon a gigantic viewing screen in the heart of his family's palace. He wore rectangular glasses and a white prince's uniform. He was Lyle Power. His screen represented the warps as a network of tube like structures connecting the various worlds together. Most were highlighted in pink, representing the influence of the seal. However, several storm clouds were situated at various points in the network which arced lightning chaotically across the warp.

The bespectacled young man frowned. Before him was a group of console operators, the technicians who maintained the equipment which sustained and monitored the seal. "Your majesty," addressed one of the operators. "The seal is destabilizing further. Another storm had formed in the network by the Mushroom Kingdom. If this continues, the seal could collapse and the warp would open again."

"I know," replied Lyle, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Continue monitoring."

Lyle left the warp monitoring room. He had seen these "warp storms" increase in number and severity as he grew up. All this was because the universe of video games was always expanding. New video games were being created constantly, which brought new worlds into existence. With each new world came new sets of warps, all of which had to be covered. The seal could stretch like an elastic band, but even it had limits in how far it could be taken before snapping. The warp storms was the seal fraying right before everyone's eyes.

Lyle had travelled to the throne room to report his latest observations to his father, Charles XXI. Charles was a wizened old man dressed in a puffy blue noble's shirt, an orange tunic with matching pants, and the golden crown of Videoland on his head. Charles listened to his son's report with great concern. "I see, so the situation grows worse," remarked Charles.

The wizened man stroked his beard deep in thought. Beside the king was Lana Power, his daughter. She was a lovely brunette in a midriff-revealing two-piece ensemble. Her top was pink, and she wore a pink belt over a white skirt which tapered to her right. On her head was a golden tiara adorned with a green jewel. "Father, we mustn't give up hope. Remember the legend!"

"Aye, when the seal fades, a hero shall come from beyond the warp. He shall be known as the 'Game Master' and bear an emblem of his home land. Though not hailing from Videoland, his knowledge of it will be great nonetheless. With the power of 'motion control,' he will help move Videoland past one of its darkest times," replied Charles, repeating the legend as his own parents had taught him.

"Yes, you taught that to us, father," said Lana. "I believe the Game Master will come soon. We need to stay strong until then."

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The annual California Swimming Championships were underway. The contestants were young men from high schools across the state. All were dressed in Speedos, swim caps, and goggles, waiting for the next race to begin. At the centre of the five was Kevin Keene, aged sixteen, representing Northridge High in the red Speedo. The swimmers took positions at the starting line by the foot of the pool. When the referee blew the whistle, all of them dove into the water and sped forward.

The racers were neck and neck at first, until Kevin and a rival two lanes over to the right pulled ahead of the pack. It was between Kevin and that swimmer as they raced down the last stretch of the pool. Kevin put in everything he had, shooting ahead of his rival by a head. He touched the other end of the pool, just seconds before his rival did the same. "Alright Kevin! WOOOO! Way to go!" the crowd erupted, cheering their champion from the bleachers. When Kevin was told his position in the race, he raised his arms in elation.

The swimmers returned to their locker rooms to change out of their soaking wet suits. Minutes later, the swimming association announced the winners, with Kevin Keene scoring first place. He had been awarded with a large gold, cup-like trophy and donned his school's Letterman jacket, a white-sleeved red jacket emblazoned with a black letter "N." When he got home, he put his new trophy on a shelf, right next to the others he had won from other swimming competitions. He admired his new prize on the shelf.

Several days passed and summer vacation began for Kevin and the rest of Northridge High. The young man looked at himself in the mirror as he combed his brown hair. "You handsome devil you!" he remarked as he applied the finishing touches on his hair.

Kevin noticed a beagle with a brown spot over his eye brushing up against him. "Woof!" barked the dog.

"Hey Duke, you seem eager to go to Disneyland today," remarked Kevin.

"Woof woof!" barked Duke, Kevin bent down to hug him, and Duke licked his face.

"Whoa, easy there boy!" said Kevin. "We're not going 'til this afternoon."

Kevin went down and ate breakfast for the day and returned to this room to finish packing. His suitcase was full of clothing and hygiene-related items such as a toothbrush and floss. He looked at his clock, which said he had two hours to spare until lunch. Kevin turned on his Wii console and activated its Virtual Console software. He selected "Punch Out," an old arcade boxing game from Nintendo. Kevin steamrolled all opponents until he reached King Hippo, an obese boxer who wore a crown.

After the boxers moved closer to battle, Kevin opened by throwing a jab to the face. King Hippo easily blocked. Kevin tried a body shot, but was easily blocked. King Hippo launched his counter punch, but got sidestepped. He opened his mouth in preparation to punch, when Kevin promptly popped him there. It knocked King Hippo's shorts down, revealing a bandaged navel. Kevin unloaded the body shots, each hit knocking Hippo's pants down even as he kept trying to pull them back up.

A knocking came from the door to Kevin's room. "Kevin?" asked a female voice.

"Come in mom," replied Kevin. He unloaded more body shots until King Hippo finally got his shorts back up.

A bespectacled blonde in her forties opened the door. Though her hair was greying from age, Kevin's mother was still a very attractive woman with a pleasant demeanour. Her name was Sonia Keene. "Kevin we're going to Disneyland after lunch. Did you pack your things?" she asked.

"Yep, just finished a few minutes ago," replied Kevin.

"Good, lunch will be in about half an hour," said Sonia. "Don't be late."

"I won't," said Kevin. He had managed to deck Hippo's open mouth again. Hippo dropped his shorts, allowing Kevin to unload more body shots until he had felled Hippo.

Before Sonia left, she noticed an unusual mark on the wall behind Kevin. On closer examination, it appeared to be a crack in the paint, one of many. "Hmm, we'll have to repaint soon," Sonia said to herself.

Suddenly, the image of a swirling, vortex-like mass of clouds appeared on the screen. "Whoa!" Kevin remarked, as electricity leaped out of his TV, latching onto him. He stumbled back, flailing his limbs to maintain balance and knocking over his chair as he stumbled back.

Sonia grabbed Kevin's hand. "Kevin hold on!" she cried, trying to pull Kevin over to her while holding onto his window sill.

Kevin could see and feel his mother straining against the force of the lightning's pull. Her grip weakening rapidly as the pull eroded her strength. However, it was the window sill which gave out first. A piece of it tore off with a barely audible crunch. Kevin was dragged into the TV set, taking his mother along with him. They hurtled through what appeared to be a tunnel filled with storm clouds arcing lightning. Despite the danger, they miraculously passed through safely. They hit something at the other end and blacked out.

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"Ow," remarked Kevin as light filtered into his eyes. When his blurred vision finally cleared, he was greeted with the sight of a beautiful brunette in a tiara. She was seated on a stool near the bed. "Where am I? Who are you?" asked Kevin bolted upright.

"Relax, I'm not an enemy," replied the brunette. "I'm Princess Lana Power. You're in my palace in Videoland. When the warp dumped you here, you hit your head on the ground and blacked out. We have been taking care of you while you recovered."

"Yeah," replied Sonia. "I got pulled in with you. You broke my fall when we landed here."

"What is this place?" asked Kevin, unsure if what he heard was correct.

"My palace in Videoland," replied Lana.

"Videoland?" asked Kevin.

"She told me the same thing," replied Sonia. When Kevin regained more of his lucidity, he noticed that Sonia was not wearing her usual clothes. She was now dressed in a hooded white robe. This ensemble made her seem radiant and saintly. "Oh, my clothes? I found myself wearing this when I got here. I don't know how I got them."

"You look like a priestess from an RPG," Kevin remarked as he sat up.

"I do, don't I?" asked Sonia rhetorically.

"Kevin, please don't push yourself. You're still recovering," said Lana.

Kevin noticed a set of guns and a glove and across the room. The first was more like a grey pistol and was in a holster, lying on a desk. It looked very much like the Zapper light gun peripheral for the old Nintendo Entertainment System. The second weapon was much larger, looking more like a bazooka. He recognized it as a Super Scope, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System's equivalent of the Zapper. The last item, the glove, was an article of grey clothing which had a control pad with buttons on it. In fact, it was a Nintendo Power Glove.

"You had them when we landed in the palace," informed Sonia.

"I had them?" asked Kevin.

"Your weapons are standard firearms used by my family and the palace guards. The Power Glove is the symbol of my family, but it looks like you have the real thing," said Lana. "When you came through the warp, both of you must have gained special weapons and powers. Now I know you must be the Game Master."

A female servant knocked on the door to the guest room. "Your Majesty, the King wishes to see you," informed the maid.

"Okay, I'm coming," replied Lana. "Kevin, please get more rest. I'll be back later."

Lana got up to leave with her maid. "Hey wait!" said Kevin, trying to reach for her, which resulted in a bizarre effect taking place. Lana had zoomed back to Kevin's side, as though a tape had been rewound to an earlier segment. "Whoa!"

"What?" asked Lana. "Why am I back here again?"

"What just happened?" asked Sonia.

"I... I don't know," he replied. "I tried to reach for you and you came back to me."

"This must be one of the special powers you gained when you passed through the warp," said Lana. "Please rest. I need to see my father."

"Your Majesty, please hurry, the King is waiting," said the maid.

"Coming," replied Lana. "We'll talk later."

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"So, you believe our guest is the Game Master of legend?" asked Charles.

"Yes," replied Lana. "His jacket is a Letterman jacket, which represents his high school. That can't be a coincidence."

"Hmm, let's give him a chance to prove himself. Lyle just gave me the latest report. He is certain that in a week, the Mushroom Kingdom warp will open completely, with more coming in the days ahead. Why don't you take our guests and explore this world? Learn about it, and report back what you find. If you can, recruit suitable allies who could help us," said Charles.

"I understand. I should provide some basic training before we go," said Lana.

Lana returned to the guest room to check up on Kevin and Sonia. "Hello your Majesty," said Sonia.

"Just call me Lana. There's no need to be so formal," said Lana. "I just came back from meeting my father."

"What did he say?" asked Kevin, sitting up.

"He ordered us to explore the other worlds of Videoland and learn as much about them as we can," replied Lana.

"He did? All I do is serve coffee and my son is still in school," said Sonia. "We're not cut out for that."

"Our palace was built near a great warp zone which connects all of the other worlds of Videoland. The seal on the warps is beginning to collapse. Soon, our palace will be exposed to dangers beyond the warps. We fear that an evil force might use our warp zone to terrorize the rest of Videoland. We don't know what form this evil might take, but we need to be ready. Please help us," requested Lana.

"I'm just a normal kid. Plus, my dad and our friends must be worried sick about us. My mom and I should get home as soon as possible," said Kevin.

"I don't think you can," said Lana. "The seal on the warps is growing unstable, which is creating storms. You were lucky to survive your trip here. You might not be so lucky the second time. Even if you did, the warps are still opening. Your home would be at risk if our palace were to fall. Please help us, for the sake of everyone."

Kevin sighed in resignation. "Alright, I guess I can't refuse if you put it that way."

"Are you really going to do this?" asked Sonia.

"What choice do we have?" Kevin asked in response. "If we don't do anything, it might not matter even if we could go home."

"Okay, I'll help," said Sonia.

"Still, I'm not this big hero. I'm just a kid. What can I possibly do?" asked Kevin.

"You're the Game Master. Your knowledge of the game worlds will guide us to success," replied Lana.

"Sure, I've played a lot of video games, but I haven't played every game in existence," said Kevin. "Even with my mom's knowledge, there are still many games we haven't seen."

"Even if you don't, you still know more than we do, much more," said Lana. "You also have motion control, the power move things with a gesture. With some training, you should be ready."

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Over a week, Kevin and Sonia spent time in one of Power Palace's state of the art training facilities. It was a simple black room with stripes of yellow paint to mark off sections of the room like a grid. In the cabin overlooking the room, Lana worked the controls for this room, a sort of holographic projector. To Kevin, this room was much like a "holodeck" from the TV series Star Trek. It also reminded him of the "Danger Room" from the X-men comics and movies, which he thought was cool.

"I'm going to spawn targets to practice your aim," announced Lana.

A structure similar to a firing range stall appeared around Kevin. He readied his Zapper and fired at the moving, human-shaped target. Instead of bullets, his gun fired beams of blue energy. They perforated the paper target much like a bullet did. "How was that?" asked Kevin.

Lana looked over the display screen, which showed the state of the target. Of his ten shots, Kevin had landed seven of them directly on the heart. The other three hit the face. "Pretty good," she replied. "Have you ever fired a gun before?"

"No, this is my first time. The only guns I've ever fired were part of an arcade machine," replied Kevin.

"What kind of video games do you like?" asked Lana. "There must be all kinds."

"I like a little of everything. I like games by Nintendo, multiplayer shooters..." replied Kevin. "I also play a few RPGs, but not as much as my mom. She is a big fan of them."

"I see, I guess that's why she ended up in those robes. She can use magic," said Lana.

"No kidding," remarked Kevin as he looked towards Sonia's area. "Look at her go!"

Sonia's hands became aglow with golden light as she prepared a holy spell. A blast of holy magic descended on the paper target, much like a hammer slamming onto its head. The target crumpled under the force of her attack. "I'm like a priestess from World of Warcraft. That was a Smite spell," she replied.

The holy magic scattered and some of it touched Kevin, who felt a surge of wholesome, rejuvenating power fill him. "So that means you're a healer?" asked Kevin.

"Yes, I'm triggering a Discipline Priest's 'Atonement.' Whenever I damage with certain spells, I can splash holy magic onto nearby friends to heal them."

"So, you can support and dish out the pain... Cool!" remarked Kevin.

Kevin continued shooting at targets. He was amazed at how great his accuracy was. It wasn't a case of being skilled, since he had never fired a real gun in his life. It was more like a "force" was guiding his hand to where he should aim. Was it the Power Glove's doing? If so, it was a useful tool. In the heat of a battle, it was very easy to become agitated and become inaccurate. This effect could counter it, allowing him to maintain accuracy.

For a change of pace, Lana created a dusty, dry wilderness with several target dummies far in the distance. "Let's try some long distance sniping this time," said Lana.

The targets were too far away for the Zapper to hit accurately, even with the Power Glove's help. This was where the Super Scope came in. Kevin holstered his Zapper and materialized the Super Scope. The bazooka-like weapon had a scope for spotting distant targets. He lined the crosshairs on the dummy and pulled the trigger. A bolt of energy pierced the target and felled it. Kevin continued to snipe dummies until he had picked each of them off.

"Okay, that's good. You're going to be the sharpshooter for our team," said Lana. "Your next training will be in a live situation."

When the next session came, Lana created a modern city and then three terrorists for Kevin to fight. These men were dressed in camouflage and ski masks while armed with submachine guns. As Kevin traversed the town, he soon came upon the group, who fired at him from cover behind a car. He fled into an alley and became pinned around a corner by their fire. He took a step back and noticed a balcony above. He climbed up to it and onto the roof, where he approached the edge quietly.

The terrorists were still firing at the alley, still believing he was there. Two of them left cover to investigate the alley and attempt to flank him. As they approached the alley from the rear, Kevin lagged them back onto the street. As they stood there confused, Kevin shot them. The third tried to return fire, but Kevin gestured to motion control the bullets into veering off course. Kevin scored a retaliatory head shot on the terrorist.

"Nice Kevin, very nice," remarked Lana, despawning the city.

Kevin found himself standing in the training room with Sonia. "Yeah, well done," said Sonia.

"You guys could still use more training, but I think you can manage now. We'll be going tomorrow, so get a good night's sleep," said Lana.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	2. Exp 2 - Our Princess is in another Cell

Disclaimer:

Captain N was produced by Nintendo and DIC Entertainment. Super Mario Brothers was produced by Nintendo.

**New Captain N: Warp Zone  
By: RB3  
Explorers of Videoland 2: Our Princess is in Another Cell**

When the big day came, Lana led Kevin, Sonia, and a group of guards travelled down to the basement beneath Power Palace. After passing the foyer containing the stairs up, they encountered a honeycomb-like network of metallic, hexagonal rooms connected to each other by corridors. Each room represented a small hub with arches marked by unique icons representing the world. Due to the Power family's seal, most of the warps were not present. This location was the warp zone hub House Power had guarded for generations.

Lana led her group to one specific arch, which was active. It had an ovular, energy doorway beneath its identifying arch. On the arch was a plate with a carving of a mushroom with a cap and spots. "The seal had weakened enough to allow this warp to open. It leads to the Mushroom Kingdom," informed Lana.

"Whoa, Super Mario Brothers. I can't wait to meet Mario, Luigi, and Peach. I'm a big fan of those games," admitted Kevin.

"It's kind of weird, seeing the characters from our video games in person," remarked Sonia. "I guess they're like celebrities to us."

"Let's go," said Lana.

Lana's group stepped through the warp and fell into a network of tubes. They turned up, down, and sideways, making the trip a veritable roller coaster. When they reached the end of this exhilarating trip, they emerged at the top of a green water pipe in the middle of a forest. It was a quiet wooded region filled with rounded tree tops and bright red fruit. A yellow, caterpillar-like creature with a flower growing out of its head walked by. The creature seemed very cute and unassuming, not likely something which would try to harm Lana's group.

Lana's guards trained guns at it. "Hey, that's a Wiggler," informed Kevin. "He's harmless, but make sure not to step on him. That makes him really angry."

While the guards remained behind to guard the warp, Lana's group travelled some ways out of the forest and came upon a lush verdant plain. The sun was shining brightly and a light breeze picked up and caused Lana's hair to flutter. Several minutes later, the party came upon a second group of people. They were seated at a series of benches and tables with food items and utensils arrayed on the tables. They appeared to be having a picnic. Most of the people were quite diminutive and wore clothing which gave them the appearance of mushrooms.

The person at the head of the group was a young woman with frizzy blond hair. She wore a gold crown and an elegant pink dress, suggesting she was royalty. "That's Princess Peach!" remarked Kevin.

"Oh, hello everybody!" greeted Peach. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Hello Princess Peach. I'm Princess Lana Power of Videoland. It's great to meet you," replied Lana. "These are my friends, Kevin and Sonia Keene."

"Power?" asked Peach, she then noticed the Power Glove emblem on Lana's bracers. "Oh, I know you! It's been so long time since your family came to visit. Why, the last time you came was when my great, great, great, great, great, great... Well, it was a long time ago. Is the warp open now? Oh forgive my manners! I'm Princess Peach Toadstool. I'm happy to make your acquaintance. Please, sit down and be our guest. We have a lot to catch up on."

"Thanks," replied Lana.

"How about some tea?" asked Peach, holding up a tea pot. Lana placed her cup below, which Peach filled to the brim. Kevin and Sonia sampled some of Peach's sandwiches, which were quite delicious and well made. "It's been so long since House Power has even spoken to us. How have you been?"

"We've been doing well," replied Lana. "I'm sorry we couldn't visit. My ancestor, Charles Power I, had to seal the warp zones because he feared a threat coming from the warps. It's been a long time since then and the seal is starting to weaken."

"Oh that's too bad. At least now, we can visit each other and be friends again," said Peach.

"Yeah, that's a good thing," said Lana. "I'm concerned that as the warps begin to open, our palace would be placed in danger. That puts your kingdom in danger too."

"Uh Princess Peach," began Kevin.

"Please, just call me Peach," said Peach.

"Okay, I was wondering where Mario and Luigi were?" asked Kevin.

"Oh, they got called out on an emergency. They're exorcising a haunted mansion," replied Peach.

Kevin nodded in understanding and continued his meal. Lana and Peach continued their discussion to make up for lost time. The Powers and the Toadstools seemed to know each other from way back when, before the warps were sealed. Most of their conversation was simple fluff such as talking about the weather and humorous stories about their families. The two princesses seemed like best of friends who knew each other forever, even though they had only met a few minutes ago.

A member of Peach's retinue looked up and noticed an object which looked like a white, half-sphere with clown-like face. The object was actually a flying vehicle, which was moved by a single small, yellow propeller on its under side. Seated in this "clown car" was a large creature which looked like a turtle with a spiky shell and facial features of both an ox and a dragon. The driver carried a massive burlap sack in his hands, more than large enough to scoop up a picnic table and all its occupants.

"RUN! It's Bowser!" cried the servant.

Kevin looked at the sky. When he realized it was him, he threw down his sandwich and reached for his Zapper. It was too late, for Bowser was already swooping down upon Peach's table. This motion had generated a burst of air which knocked him down and the Zapper out of his hand. He ran the bag across the length of the table, scooping it up with Peach, Lana, and some of Peach's servants into the sack. When Kevin recovered, he retrieved his Zapper and aimed for Bowser's back.

The sack with his captives was slung over his back and they were struggling from within to break out. If he fired now, Kevin might accidentally hit a servant or possibly one of the princesses. He put away his weapon and got off the ground. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but the picnic is a mess and he got Lana and Peach," replied Sonia.

"What do we do? Mario and his brother are still at the mansion," said one of Peach's retainers, Toad. "None of us can stand up to Bowser."

"We can," replied Kevin. "I've beaten Bowser plenty of times in Super Mario Bros. Now that I have a weapon and my mom's help, it will be even easier."

"Lana and Peach are counting on us. We have to help them," said Sonia.

"You're going to rescue the princess for us?" asked Toad.

"Yeah," replied Kevin. "Bowser has taken our princess too. Since we're going to save Lana, we might as well go for 100% completion while we're there."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" replied Toad. "Please bring the princess back safely. Good luck."

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Kevin and Sonia made their way west to the volcanic lands beyond the Mushroom Kingdom. These dark, barren lands was the domain of Bowser, King of the Koopas. As a rival to the Mushroom Kingdom, the turtle-like Koopas often made raids and invasions into Peach's kingdom. In particular, Bowser was enamoured with Princess Peach, often kidnapping her and trying to get her to marry him and rule together as husband and wife. However, the Mario brothers usually came on the scene and thwarted Bowser, rescuing Peach from captivity.

This wasn't the first time Bowser had done so. Bowser had kidnapped Peach on so many occasions that the Mushroom Kingdom had become used to it. The Mario brothers would swoop in and rescue her shortly afterwards and send Bowser home empty-handed. Ironically, both sides had developed an odd friendship and rivalry with each other as a result of this. This rivalry played out when they competed in sports such as go-kart racing. In fact, these competitions were some of the few times Bowser ever got clear victories over the Mario Brothers.

"This place is hot," remarked Sonia, wandering through the volcanic lands of the Koopas.

"You want to rest?" asked Kevin.

"Yeah, let me sit on this rock," said Sonia. After sitting and resting for a few moments, Sonia spoke again. "This is like a dream. I'd never expected to become the heroine that I play as in my video games."

"It's dangerous, but exciting," said Kevin, sitting on a second rock nearby. "I've always wanted to go on adventures like this."

"You're young. I'm too old for these things. I prefer a nice quiet life," replied Sonia.

"At least we won't be bored," said Kevin. After a few moments of silence and rest, Kevin got up. "Let's go."

The two soon came upon an area where the path split into two. One path led into a tunnel which passed through the mountain up ahead. It was lit by lanterns and appeared to be very cramped. It was likely an exhausted mine which had been converted into a tunnel for traffic. The other led up above the tunnel, going around the mountain and rejoining the other road at the end. There was no other way around the mountain, as there were pools of lava surrounding the base of the mountain.

Kevin and Sonia noticed a Koopa in a green shell and helmet wandering the top path. This Koopa, armed with a hammer, was appropriately called a Hammer Brother. "There's a guard patrolling up there," informed Sonia.

"Yeah, and more in the tunnel," said Kevin, spotting a Koopa-like shadow cast by the lantern light.

"Which way should we go?" asked Sonia.

"I think the top way would be best. I can pick off that Hammer Brother from here," said Kevin.

He peered through the lens of the Super Scope, putting the Hammer Brother right in the crosshairs. When he fired, the Koopa's slumped forward and lost his footing. He tumbled into the lava pool below. With the road clear, it was a smooth, uneventful trip straight to Bowser's Castle. From their distance, they could see that the castle had a facade much like Bowser's face. It had a dark, almost Gothic appearance, much of it taking after Bowser's own spiky appearance.

A pair of guards were patrolling by the front door, both of which were Hammer Brothers. The front door was too risky to enter, so Kevin and Sonia snuck past them to the castle's rear. There, they found a dumpster area for disposing of the castle's waste. The area reeked of spoiled food, packed in bags and dumped in the metal containers. A single door was there, likely leading into the kitchen and its mess hall. The door was ajar and the duo heard footsteps approaching the area.

Kevin and Sonia moved out of sight. A single Koopa worker entered the area and tossed more trash into the dumpster. Kevin suddenly burst out of hiding and pistol-whipped the Koopa in the back of the head. The Koopa fell unconscious facefirst into the ground. Kevin dragged him behind the dumpster, hiding him from prying eyes. "He won't stay out long. We have to hurry," said Kevin.

The duo passed through the kitchen, which was very quiet as only a few chefs worked at this hour. They entered the dining room, seeing a few Koopas seated at the tables for snacks. They kept their heads low, sneaking through the room without being seen. They eventually reached the central hall, which had a green-shelled Koopa patrolling. Sonia cast a "Mind Vision" spell on the Koopa, which allowed her to see through his eyes as he made his rounds. The Koopa passed through several stone archways and a storage closet, but none of them were of any pertinence.

After moving to the very end of the hall, she could see a stone staircase down to the lower floors of the castle. However, this was the end of the Koopa's patrol route and he was turning around to go back to his original position down the hall. "Get ready," whispered Sonia.

Kevin took a firm grip of his weapon as he waited for the Koopa to return. Once the Koopa did so and turned to go the other way, Kevin moved. He pistol-whipped the Koopa in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Making sure no one spotted him, Kevin dragged the guard into the storage closet and closed the door on him. He and Sonia descended the stairs to the underground dungeon of the castle.

This area was made of cobblestone and mortar and lit by torches. It was darker and less elegant, being far more utilitarian in its design. As this was where all prisoners were kept, the security in this area was tighter. Near the first archway, Kevin peeked around the corner and saw a guard patrolling down the cell corridor. There were unknown people in the cells, and it wasn't where he and Sonia wanted to be. Kevin and Sonia slipped past the archway to the next one and saw Lana and the other prisoners in the neighbouring corridor.

A Hammer Brother was in the corridor's pathway, talking to a second Koopa. This unique Koopa had wild blue hair parted in two down the middle. His back was turned to the duo as he spoke with the Hammer Brother. "Lieutenant, how's the situation with the prisoners?" asked the blue-haired Koopa.

As they spoke, Lana was in the nearby cell, eating a dinner she had received earlier. She noticed Kevin and Sonia in the corner of her eye and nearby blurted out his name, blowing their cover. Fortunately, she had caught herself just in the nick of time, coughing to clear her throat. Kevin put a finger up to his mouth, signalling her to keep quiet. As Lt. Hammer Bro. spoke with the Koopa, Kevin slinked back into his hiding place and eavesdropped.

"That's Ludwig von Koopa," he whispered to Sonia. "He's one of Bowser's Koopalings. It might be tough to get past him."

"I've got that covered," said Sonia.

"The girl here says she is a member of the Power royal family," said Lt. Hammer Bro. At that moment, Sonia had landed a 'Dominate Mind' spell on him. "They..."

Lt. Hammer Bro went stiff and his eyes glazed over as his mind fell under Sonia's control. "They what?" asked Ludwig. "Speak up!"

Lt. Hammer Bro suddenly clubbed Ludwig over the head with his hammer! Ludwig collapsed, knocked unconscious. Sonia turned Lt. Hammer Bro around, leaving his back vulnerable. Kevin quickly ran out and pistol-whipped him in the back of the head. Kevin snatched the key from his waist and locked both unconscious Koopas in the nearby empty cell. He rushed to Lana's cell and quickly opened the lock. Lana ran up to Kevin and hugged him. "Thank you Kevin, I knew you'd come for me."

Kevin smiled. "I'm just glad you're safe. Where's Princess Peach? Do you know where she is?"

"Our princess is in another cell," said one of Peach's servants from the neighbouring cell. "Bowser has a special room where he keeps Peach whenever he kidnaps her. You can reach it from his throne room in the north wing."

"Thanks," replied Sonia.

"Kevin, let me get these people out. You go and save Peach," said Lana.

"Will you be okay on your own like that?" asked Sonia.

"I'll be fine, just worry about Peach," said Lana. "She's the important thing right now."

"Okay, be careful. We'll get Peach out as soon as we can," said Kevin.

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Kevin and Sonia crossed the stone hallway leading to Bowser's throne room. It was adorned by a red carpet and a row of statues flanked the carpet. They were depictions of former kings of the Koopas, Bowser's venerable ancestors. There were also portraits of them behind each statue. The family resemblance to Bowser was quite strong and very evident. In a side alcove by the far door, there was a portrait of one of Bowser's ancestors. He was posing with a man who wore a mushroom-like cap and crown and a second man who looked much like King Charles.

"Bowser's ancestor knew Lana's," remarked Sonia.

"Yeah, and the other guy must be a former king of the Mushroom Kingdom," said Kevin. "They must have known each other a long time ago, before the warps closed. It looks like the Koopa and Mushroom Kingdom feud started after that. Let's keep going, we have to rescue Peach."

"Okay," said Sonia.

Kevin opened the massive steel double doors which led to the throne room. He rushed in with his weapon trained on Bowser with Sonia following right behind. "Hold it right there!" said Kevin.

"Who are you?" Bowser asked as he stood up from the throne.

"We're friends of Princess Lana, who you took hostage when you grabbed Peach. We got her out, but now we want you to release Peach," said Kevin.

"Ha ha ha, do you think you can take on me with that little pea shooter? Bring it on!" replied Bowser, who advanced on the duo.

Kevin fired his Zapper. To his surprise, Bowser found that Kevin's shots stung quite a bit when they hit him. They stung enough that Bowser had to cover himself in face of this onslaught. When Kevin stopped to recharge, Bowser spit several fireballs at him. Kevin dove away and continued running from cover behind a pillar. Sonia unleashed a Smite spell upon the Koopa king, staggering him with the hammer-like blast. She then cast Holy Fire, erupting golden flame around Bowser. Bowser withstood these attacks and breathed fire.

Sonia cast Power Word: Shield, creating a bubble of golden light to blunt the flames. As they washed over harmlessly, Kevin peeked out and fired. Bowser reared back in pain, ceasing his breath. He turned to Kevin and immediately charged. Kevin quickly dove away, narrowly avoiding Bowser as he punched through the pillar, reducing it to rubble. Kevin ran to the middle of the throne room and continued shooting. Bowser leapt high above, but Kevin dove away just before Bowser crashed down.

Bowser had cracked the ground and through the cracks, Kevin could see a glowing redness. This gave him a very sneaky idea. "Where are you, you little pest?" asked Bowser looking around for Kevin.

Kevin peeked out and fired, alerting Bowser to his location behind a pillar. Bowser charged in as before, only to have Kevin dive away and end up smashing the pillar to rubble. Kevin moved to the cracked floor in the middle of the room and fired at Bowser. They annoyed the Koopa king rather than cause any lasting harm. As before, Bowser jumped high over Kevin and descended. Kevin lagged him back into the air before diving to safety.

Bowser followed through with his momentum and smashed the ground. The floor, already cracked from his previous descent, gave out beneath him. "AAAAAAAH!" screamed Bowser as he plummeted into molten hot lava below.

"Will he be okay?" asked Sonia, seeing Bowser submerged in his fiery doom below.

"I'm sure he will. He always comes back to kidnap the princess in the next game," replied Kevin.

At that moment, a pair of Italian men entered the room. Both wore blue overalls, but one wore a red shirt and matching cap, while the other green. The one in red was also a bit more rotund, compared to his more slender green counterpart. Kevin instantly knew who they were. They were the Mario Brothers, Mario and Luigi. Mario was the man in red while Luigi was the one in the green. They looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

"What's a-happening here?" asked Luigi.

Lana came out from behind the Mario Brothers and hugged Kevin. "Oh Kevin, I'm glad you're okay," said Lana.

"My son and I took care of Bowser before you arrived," Sonia replied to Luigi. "He tricked Bowser into falling into the lava below."

"Where's a-Peach?" asked Mario.

"Peach should be in Bowser's room," replied Sonia.

"Thank you a-very much," said Mario, before rushing into that room to get Peach. He came out moments later with the princess, who had been unharmed during her captivity. "Let's get you home."

At that moment, they heard a stirring from the lava below. From the opening, they could see Bowser swimming out of the thick lava to the nearest shore. "Bowser's out of the lava," remarked Luigi.

"Take Peach back to the Mushroom Kingdom," said Kevin. "We'll take care of him."

"Okie dokey," replied Luigi. "You a-be careful now."

Mario and Luigi led Peach out of the castle and back to safety in the Mushroom Kingdom. Kevin, Sonia, and Lana made their way to the lower floor, to the lava-filled room below. Bowser was lying on the edge of the lava pool, panting from having to swim out of such a thick, molten liquid. One of Bowser's Magikoopas, a bespectacled Koopa sorcerer dressed in a blue robe, came by to check on his master.

Kevin noticed him coming and trained his Zapper on him. "Whoa, I'm not here to fight," said the Magikoopa. "I just want to check up on my master."

"Who, who are you guys?" asked Bowser, mustering the strength to speak between breaths. "I was expecting the Mario Brothers, but not you. What do you want with me and Princess Peach?"

"Like I said, we're friends of Lana. You took her prisoner when you nabbed Peach," replied Kevin. "We decided to help the Mushroom Kingdom, so we went after you."

"That's me," said Lana. "I'm Princess Lana of House Power. I did NOT appreciate you kidnapping me along with her."

"Power?" asked Bowser. "Why does that sound so familiar? Wait... Power? As in Charles Power?"

"Yeah, he was my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, well, something like that," replied Lana. "My father is King Charles XXI."

Bowser was shocked. "Charles I was a friend of Bowser I."

"Yeah, we saw that painting in your gallery," said Sonia. "It looked like the Koopa King, Charles I, and the old Mushroom King were once friends."

"We were," said Bowser. "After the Powers sealed the warp, the Koopas and the Mushroom Kingdom drifted apart. Even I don't know why. It was so long ago. Why? Why did Charles I seal the warps?"

"Charles I feared the evils growing in other worlds. He sealed the warps so they couldn't reach the palace," replied Lana. "The seal is weakening, so it's only a matter of time before we are vulnerable again."

"I see," said Bowser. "The Koopas owe so much to you. I may be a bad guy, but my dad still taught me to return kindness to your friends. Let me join you."

"Wait, you want to come with us?" asked Kevin.

"Did you hear what I said?" asked Bowser. "I said I wanted to join you. I may not look like it, but I take care of my Koopas. Besides, only I get to take over the Mushroom Kingdom! I'm coming along to make sure everyone else knows that."

"O-kay..." remarked Kevin.

"We should give him a chance. I'm sure my father would like to reopen relations with the Koopas and the Mushroom Kingdom," said Lana.

"I'm fine with that too, as long he doesn't go around causing problems," said Sonia.

"Well, you've talked me into it," said Kevin. "Welcome to the team."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	3. Exp 3 - Demon of Darkness

Disclaimer:

Captain N was produced by Nintendo and DIC Entertainment. The Shin Megami Tensei, Persona, and Devil Survivor series were produced by Atlus. This story uses reference material from all.

**New Captain N: Warp Zone  
By: RB3  
Explorers of Videoland 03: Demon of Darkness**

With their adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom over, Lana, Kevin, and Sonia returned to Power Palace. The three had come back with a new ally in the form of the King of the Koopas himself, Bowser, who they introduced to King Charles. "So this is Bowser Koopa IV?" asked Charles.

"Yes father," replied Lana. "We were friends and allies with them before our ancestors sealed the warps."

"Oh yes, I know. It's been so long since our families met each other. We have a lot of catching up to do, but that will happen in time," said Charles. "For now, let's discuss the matter of the warps."

"I spoke with Peach. The Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Troopa are building a guard post near the warp in Peaceful Woods," said Bowser.

"Thank you," said Charles.

"I was wondering how many of these warps are open now?" asked Bowser.

"Two," replied Charles. "After my daughter went to explore the Mushroom Kingdom, the seal fell off of the warp to the Amala Universe."

"What's that place like?" asked Kevin. "I don't think I've heard of that game."

"Neither have I," said Sonia.

"We don't have much information, but from what Lyle has told me, this warp leads to a demonic world. This one sounds very dangerous, so be careful," said Charles. "I've sent my men ahead to prepare a camp for you at the other end. Use that location as a base of operations."

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The Explorers travelled down the vast hallways of the warp zone, the hub which connected all of the worlds together. The group came upon a door with the engraving of a spade with numerous tendril-like roots. The spade was within a circle and looked like a magical sigil, a fitting symbol of a demonic world. When the Explorers travelled through the warp, they found themselves among a group of Power Palace guards.

When they spotted Lana, the commander and his men saluted. "Greetings Princess. Please be careful as you explore the area."

The Amala Universe was the most bizarre and surreal world yet. The sky had a burning, blood red hue to it. The world itself seemed filled with a strange sensation of supernatural power. To this world, "laws of physics" were probably a misnomer. The vegetation of this strange place was much like that back in Kevin and Sonia's home world, but more dense. They recognized the trees as pine trees, which could mean they were in the wilderness in the northern hemisphere.

The area around the warp was a set of standing stones erected in concentric circles like Stonehenge from England. The warp was at the centre of the Stonehenge replica. Lana's guard had already explored the general area and had reported being attacked by animated trees. They had destroyed them without much difficulty. Also, they had located a small mountain range to the west, but have yet to cross over to see what was on the other side. Lana's team was to go beyond the mountain and explore.

The Explorers made their way westward through the untouched primeval forest. "This place gives me the creeps," admitted Sonia.

"I don't blame you," said Lana. "This is a demonic world so expect there to be many monsters living here. You heard how my soldiers said those trees attacked them."

"If that happened to me, I don't think I'd ever look at a tree the same way again," said Sonia.

As they approached the mountain, Kevin spotted a dirt path leading upwards. "We cross the mountain that way. Let's go."

Kevin's road went up on a slight incline, gradually travelling higher and higher off the ground. After an hour of travel, they were high enough that a fall would spell certain doom. It was quite tiring to ascend the mountain on foot, but this was much easier and safer than climbing over it. They eventually came upon a large, rounded mountainside platform. Some sparse grass was growing through the dirt, in and around the rocks on the ground. The Explorers decided to rest here before finishing the remaining half of their journey.

There was a dark cave in the mountain near this rest stop. A set of fires lit up from within and started to enlarge as they approached the outside. Kevin spotted them coming, revealing themselves to be creatures made of pure flame. These fire elementals had torsos like that of a muscular man, but their bottom halves were more like trails of flame. The creatures scowled at the group, clearly intending to cause them harm.

"Uh oh, we got company!" said Kevin, drawing his Zapper.

Kevin fired at the leading fire elemental, who collapsed to the ground, snuffed out, and vanishing into nothingness. Another followed and was shot by Lana. Despite both of them shooting down the fire elementals, more replaced the fallen. Kevin and Lana noticed that more of these creatures were coming the path back and the path ahead. The elementals had trapped them in the middle, with no way to escape but down the cliff.

"Lana, focus fire on the ones from the path ahead. There are fewer coming from there," said Kevin, shooting in that direction.

"Okay," she replied, turning her Zapper in the same direction as Kevin.

Two of the fire elementals pounced on Bowser, trying to burn him and knock him to the ground. He was much too strong for them, even with their combined might. He threw off the one on his back and grabbed the other one trying to pull his right leg. Bowser quickly hurled him into the mountain, with enough force to shake the rock. "Who do you think you're messing with pal?" asked Bowser to taunt the fire elementals. "Come and get me!"

In support of Bowser, Sonia blasted the ones taking up the rear with numerous Smites. "The back way is clear," she cried.

"Okay, we've almost got the front clear too," said Kevin. "Keep it up!"

The fire elementals exhaled flame at Bowser, who covered up to withstand the blaze. Bowser forced his way through and grabbed one. He hurled that creature into the mountain with great force. Fatally wounded, the fire elemental fizzled out, leaving nothing behind but hot air. However, the impact had cracked the mountain. It shuddered and a loud crashing noise came from above. Kevin heard it and looked up to see what the commotion was about. He saw numerous rocks tumbling from high above.

"AVALANCHE!" he cried.

Kevin quickly rushed ahead, taking refuge in the path to the other side of the mountain. Unfortunately, all of his friends had gone the opposite way. The rock slide crushed all of the fire elementals in its wake, leaving none alive. It also buried the cave entrance, preventing any new fire elementals from exiting. The rock slide also completely covered the rest stop and was so thick that neither side could see the other. Although the fire elementals had been dealt with, Kevin had a new problem. He had been separated from the others.

"Kevin, are you okay?" asked Sonia.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine," replied Kevin. He tried to climb over the rocks, but they rolled out from other him. The pile started to shake. He dropped back down to safer ground. "I can't risk climbing over. I'll start another avalanche."

"What do we do?" asked Lana. "We can't get to you either."

"I'm going on ahead. Work your way around the mountain another way and meet me at the other side," said Kevin.

"Okay, but be careful. We'll be there as soon as we can," said Lana.

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Elsewhere in the demon world was a town which had built up around a single tower in the middle of a grassy plain. This gold-plated tower was the Tower of Babel. It had been damaged by divine lightning in ages past, which had sheered off the top. Below, was a JSDF base and a town which grew up and around the tower. Near the tower was a dark, cathedral-like building for the ruler of the demon world.

At the top floor of this mansion was a young, blue-haired Japanese man in his late teens. His eyes were pure blue and he was dressed in a black cloak which gave him the appearance of a dark warlock. He also wore a set of headphones over his ears. Its wires curved up such that they almost seemed like horns on his head. He was Saemon Ichihara, also known as Abel, the current King of Bel. As the King of Bel, he was the avatar and new form of the demon Bel, and by extension, was the ruler of this demonic realm.

With him were two of his demonic servants. The first was an alluring naked female demon. She had long, fiery red hair and perfect, silky smooth skin. She also had a pair of red, leathery wings. She wrapped her arms around Abel's shoulders and looked over his left shoulder at a handheld electronic device in his hands. "Abel darling, what is it?" asked the succubus, Scarlet.

The device was much like a handheld video game player. It was beeping, indicating that a new message had arrived, which Abel read. "I just got a message from Fushimi. He said that a dimensional portal had become active in New Stonehenge. Someone had used it to cross over."

Abel's other demonic servant, a mass of glimmering white orbs, looked over his right shoulder. He was Yog-Sothoth. "The Yog wants to know, who are they?"

"He thinks they might be scouts," replied Abel. "Their group is too small to mount an invasion and they haven't done anything hostile. Fushimi had sent a small detachment to monitor them." Another message came from Fushimi, which Abel read. "One of their scouting parties got into a fight with Flaemis demons and accidentally caused a rock slide which blocked a mountain road. They're trying to cross the mountain on foot."

"Are we going to check them out?" asked Scarlet.

"Yeah, let's go," replied Abel.

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After several minutes of travel, Lana's group had returned to the bottom of the mountain. Now that the path was blocked, they had no other choice but to go the long way around the mountain. Worse still, Kevin had been separated by the avalanche. The Explorers found a new dirt path which curved to the north side of the mountain. It was fairly narrow and rugged. It seemed like they had to step over a rock every inch of the way.

Despite the slower pace, they somehow made it around, to a wooded area to the west of the mountain. Hopefully, they could meet up with Kevin here, once he reached the end of his path. As they travelled through these dense woods, Sonia couldn't help but feel unnerved by this location. The redness of the sky blanketed the forest, making still seem dark even during broad daylight. The shadows seemed to move on their own, as thought they were alive.

"Let's find my boy and get out of here," said Sonia.

"Scared?" asked Bowser.

"Who wouldn't be?" asked Sonia rhetorically. "Since we got here, we were ambushed by fire elementals and nearly buried by an avalanche, no thanks to a certain someone."

"Are you insinuating something?" asked Bowser.

"Enough you two," said Lana. "If you have the energy to fight, you can spend it looking for Kevin."

Sonia looked around at the trees. One of them, a tree with a set of violet leaves like autumn, appeared to be in a different location than when she last saw it. It appeared to be slightly closer. Before, it was at least a foot behind a pine tree. Now, this same tree was slightly ahead of the pine tree, as though it had moved up and planted itself in its new location. "Is it just me, or did that tree with the purple leaves move closer?" asked Sonia.

"It's just your imagination. The redness makes things look strange, that's all," said Bowser. "It's nothing to..." At that moment, a something clubbed Bowser in the back of the head. He turned to look for what hit him. "Who did that?"

Sonia looked at the source of the attack, that same tree with the violet leaves. Only now, the tree was right behind them. She noticed a set of yellow eyes open on the tree. "That thing's alive!" said Sonia.

The tree demon swung at Bowser, who suddenly caught its branch. "Ha ha! Not this time! You're firewood now!" he cried, breathing flame which seared the tree demon black.

The tree demon recoiled in agony and fled from the Explorers. Lana noticed more rustling in the forest and stood on guard, with gun in hand. More of these tree demons were closing on their position. They were all around her and the others, surrounding and boxing them in. "Uh guys, we've got company," said Lana.

All of the tree demons opened their eyes, revealing their supernatural nature in entirety to the Explorers. "They've got us surrounded. Looks like we have no choice but to fight," said Sonia.

"I'll burn you all to firewood, just like the first one," cried Bowser. "Go ahead, make my day!"

Before either side could make their move, a violet vortex opened in the very fabric of space to the east. A tendril lashed out and wound around one of the tree demons, trapping it in place. Another portal opened with another tendril lashing out and snatching a different tree. In the west, a succubus appeared out of thin air and drained violet energy from a third tree demon. Exhausted, that tree demon collapsed in a heap on the ground. To the north, black rain drops fell upon the demons, encrusting them in ice on contact.

The leader of their rescuers, Abel, appeared beside them in a flicker of blue light. "Who are you?" asked Bowser.

"I'd ask you the same thing," replied Abel. "These woods are dangerous. They are filled with Jubokko, who attack anyone who intrudes in their territory." Lana introduced herself and her companions to Abel. "So you're the princess of the land beyond that portal, and you say a friend of yours got lost?"

"Yes, his name is Kevin Keene. We got separated by an avalanche while travelling on the mountain road. We were trying to find him before we got ambushed by the Jubokko," replied Lana.

"Then we'd better find him as soon as possible," said Abel. "There are far more dangerous things in these woods than the Jubokko."

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Kevin continued on his way across the mountain path. There was no other way to go except forward now, thanks to the rock slide on the way back. Kevin had been separated by the avalanche and was continuing on alone to the meeting place at the other end. The mountainous dirt road was winding and long. He passed through a small tunnel, which exited onto more road. When he reached the mountain's base, he encountered more forest than the eye could see.

The redness of the sky made the world seem darker than it really was. The shadows seemed to move on their own, but that appeared to be merely a trick of the light. Kevin found a nice, nearby rock and sat on it to rest. Now, it was simply a waiting game for when his friends would come to pick him up. A few minutes passed and still there was no sign of them. He continued to wait, as it would take longer for them to circle around the mountain than simply going straight through like he did.

As he relaxed, something was watching him, hiding in the bushes deeper in the forest. This spy was a creature with red skin and long fingernails which were like claws. This evil witch of a demon had long, unkempt black hair and a crone-like disposition. She was largely consisted of her torso, from which a yellow ribbon dangled downward. This ribbon was flanked by a pair of gold ropes which ended in anchors and was beaded with black orbs.

The evil witch approached Kevin, alarming him greatly. "He he he, hey pretty boy," remarked the evil witch. "Come to mama, dearie!"

"No way, I never go anywhere with strange old ladies," remarked Kevin, pointing his weapon. "Stay back or I'll shoot!"

"Is that any way to treat your elder? Naughty boys must be punished!" said the demoness, advancing.

Kevin immediately fired at her, but his shots rebounded off of a once invisible barrier of golden light. They ended up hitting himself instead. He stumbled back, pushed away by his own shots. Fortunately, his personal force field, a blue aura, had protected him from harm. "This isn't good!" said Kevin. He immediately lagged the creature back a few paces as he turned the other way and ran.

The witch was right behind him as he ran deeper into the forest. As he raced through the forest, he leapt over bushes and rocks along his path. The witch, being largely a floating torso, had no legs and thus had no worry of tripping. Despite her ability to float, Kevin was still faster than her. When he was far enough, he hid himself behind a tree to catch his breath. He felt a slight draft as the witch flew by in search of him.

Kevin let out a bated breath, relieved that he hadn't spotted yet. When the witch was far enough away, Kevin left his hiding place and ran the other way. Unfortunately, in his haste to leave the area, he had snapped a twig underfoot. "What was that?" asked the evil witch. She went to the source, where she spotted Kevin in the distance. "There you are! You're not getting away!"

Kevin continued running through the forest trying to flee the witch. He tried to motion control pebbles and branches into her way, but her barrier knocked them away. He looked over his shoulder to see the witch. However, this lapse of attention caused him to miss a small dip in the ground. Kevin stumbled over it and fell facefirst into the dirt. As he tried to turn get up, the witch had reached him. "Uh, can't we talk about this?"

"No need. I'm going to make you mine. Come to mama!" said the witch as she slowly crept up to him. She opened her mouth and wisps of misty violet energy started to bleed out of Kevin's body. He felt weaker, as though his very life was being drained away.

Suddenly, electricity surged around the witch, triggering violent spasms throughout her body. Kevin scurried away a safe distance and got up. Her flesh started to burn and she eventually vanished in a poof of inky black mist. His saviour, a young man in headphones and a black cloak, looked over him. "Are you okay?" asked the sorcerer-like man.

"I am now," replied Kevin.

"Kevin!" cried a female voice, which he recognized as Lana's. Lana embraced her Game Master, glad to see that he was unharmed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, your friend here saved me from the wicked witch," replied Kevin.

"We got here just in the nick of time. I'm Saemon Ichihara, but you can call me Abel like the demons do. That demon was a Rangda. They prefer to eat children, but won't mind snacking on the soul of adults," replied Abel.

"Yeah, I almost became her meal," said Kevin, as Sonia cast magic to seal up the scratches he had sustained from the fall.

"Abel, I'd like you to meet my father," said Lana. "Since you represent this world, we'd like to open relations with this world."

"Of course," replied Abel. "I'll have to take Fushimi along with me. I'm curious about Power Palace myself."

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Some time later, Abel and a second man, a Japanese soldier with a long face and spiky black hair, walked down the opulent hallways of Power Palace. The two men, Abel and Colonel Fushimi, marvelled at the beautiful construction of the palace of the Power family. Brass, arch-like structures supported the roof above, in a combination of practicality and elegance. Abel's cathedral of shadows was not nearly as opulent as Lana's palace was, but it had its unique charms and the presence of his friends.

Abel and Fushimi followed Lana to the throne room where Charles held court. They bowed in the presence of the king. "Ah, so you are Abel and Colonel Fushimi," said Charles. "I'm pleased to meet you. I'm King Charles XXI of Videoland. I wish to open a dialogue between our two nations and if possible, discuss potential alliances. Please tell me more about yourself and your world."

Abel told the king about the demonic Realm of Bel. The world he came from was once much like Kevin's. Recently, it had developed technology which could control demons for a variety of ordinary uses. This system came into being as a result of his ascendance as King of Bel, the ruler of the demons, and some technical expertise by his cousin, Naoya, and his friend, Atsuro. Since then, the Japanese government wished to explore and colonize the demon world. Abel was helping with this effort through his power as King of Bel, the avatar of demon lord Bel.

"That's quite a history," replied Charles upon hearing.

"Yes your Majesty," said Fushimi. "I was involved with the events which led to Ichihara becoming the King of Bel. My unit has been dubbed the Counter Demon Force, or CDF, and assigned to security in the new colony."

"I see, let me explain where we come from and why we wish to seek an alliance," said Charles. He told them about the history of the Power family, whose palace sat at on a warp zone which connected a myriad of worlds together. He also explained his concern about hostile forces arising in search of Power Palace as an invasion staging ground. "That is why I wish to form an alliance. If my palace were to ever be captured, many other worlds would be vulnerable to attack, including yours."

"I understand," said Abel. "In that case, I'm willing to assist you in fortifying your palace. I'm also curious about these new worlds. I'd like to travel with your daughter and the Game Master to learn about them. The name of 'Bel' means 'lord' or 'master' in the ancient Akkadian language. More specifically, I'm a master of magic and the supernatural. As the King of Bel, I can be of great assistance with my magic and my demonic servants."

"I don't doubt that you'll be a great asset. Let's consider this alliance unofficially established. I'm sure my daughter and their friends would love to have you travel with them," said Charles. "My daughter will show you to your new quarters. You can stay there between missions if you'd like."

Lana led their new ally, Abel, down the halls of Power Palace. Like Bowser before him, Abel had his own quarters to stay in between expeditions into the other worlds of Videoland. He entered the living area Lana had showed him, which was a set of guest quarters for visiting officials from other nations. "This is the place," informed Lana. "Take a look. I hope you enjoy your accommodations."

The entrance of the quarters led into a white living room with brown carpeting, a large television set, a wooden coffee table, and a brown couch. The upper floor had three bed rooms and a large bathroom which was more like a spa than a bathroom. The room had a white hot tub with therapeutic jets for relaxing the muscles. There were also stalls nearby for showering and for toilets. His entire quarters was equivalent to a small, luxury two-storey house.

"This will more than do," replied Abel. "If we get hungry, where can we go for food?"

"The dining room is at the north side of the palace, on the ground floor," replied Lana. "Just talk to the chef and he'll fix you up."

"I will, thanks Lana," said Abel. "When are we having our next meeting with the king?"

"I think tomorrow. Lyle has told me that one of the warps will become open then," replied Lana.

"I see, I'll be there for the briefing," said Abel.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	4. Exp 4 - Tales of the New World

Disclaimer:

Captain N was produced by Nintendo and DIC Entertainment. The Tales series was produced by Namco Bandai. This story uses reference material from both.

**New Captain N: Warp Zone  
By: RB3  
Explorers of Videoland 4: Tales of the New World**

The next day came without incident and the Explorers met with their patron, King Charles, to discuss their next move. "The seal is continuing to break down. Lyle has just reported that a new warp had just opened a few minutes ago. I've sent some of my men ahead to investigate. The warp is on a small island just off the tip of a peninsula. We have set up a ferry system from the island to the shore," said Charles.

"Were there any towns nearby?" asked Lana.

"None within our search radius," replied Charles. "That is where you come in. I want you to perform a search further afield."

"Of course," replied Lana.

Kevin's team made their way to the opened warp, which had an archway marked with an icon of two worlds side by side. "That picture... It's the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla," remarked Sonia, who stopped to stare at it.

"You recognize this game?" asked Kevin.

"Yes, it's Tales of Symphonia for the Gamecube, or the sequel, Dawn of the New World for the Wii," replied Sonia.

"Hmm, I haven't played them yet," said Kevin. "What kind of a place are they?"

"Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are the split halves of Aselia. In the ending, they were merged back together. I'm not sure what time it is there right now. I'll know once I have a look around," replied Sonia.

"Sonia, since you're more familiar with this place, we'll follow your lead," said Abel.

"Of course. Let's go," said Sonia.

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The Explorers emerged in the world of Aselia at the centre of three standing stones arranged in a circle. These strange stones had black bands painted around their lower section, as well as an emblem which resembled the letters "C" and "S" joined together at the ends and surrounding a dot. The stones were standing in the middle of a shallow, crater-like hole. The dirt was very hard and only the hardy grasses could grow from the ground here. The air had a light, salty smell, which was coupled by the splashing of water from the nearby ocean.

A soldier approached Lana with information. "Greetings your Highness, our camp is to the south. We're a bit higher than sea level, so you'll need to climb down ropes to board our boats."

"Okay, thank you," said Lana.

After a brief boat ride, the Explorers set foot on the sandy beaches near the tents which made up House Power's camp. Abel sent out his demons, Yog-Sothoth and Scarlet, to scan the land from the sky. They travelled further than Charles' guards did, following the shoreline in opposite directions. Scarlet eventually spotted a city to the southwest of their location, while Yog-Sothoth only found forests and a mountain range to the southeast in the allotted time.

When Sonia heard their reports, she immediately knew where they were. "Since we had just passed through the Otherworldly Gate, and there is a city to the southwest, that means we must be near Altamira. It is a resort town owned by the Lezareno Company."

"Resort town? I suppose we could relax a little bit while we're there," said Lana.

"Wait," said Kevin.

"What?" asked Lana.

"Is it a good idea to bring Bowser and the demons into town?" asked Kevin.

"Yeah, Bowser might be mistaken for a wandering monster," said Sonia. "The same for Abel's demons, but most men wouldn't mind checking out your succubus."

"I'll send them away. I can call them back later if needed," replied Abel. "I can't do that for Bowser. He isn't a contracted demon."

"So what if people are scared of me?" asked Bowser. "They should be very afraid of the Koopa King!"

"Yeah, but scaring people makes it tough for us to talk to them," said Lana. "I don't want to go around starting fights with everyone."

"Bah," said Bowser. "I never get to have any fun!"

"Don't worry, I'll get you something nice from Altamira's restaurants," said Lana.

"Really? How about meat? I love meat!" said Bowser.

"I'm sure we can arrange that," said Lana.

"Alright! I'll set up camp on the beach outside town," said Bowser.

"Well, that was pretty easy," said Kevin.

The Explorers made their way to the tourist trap of Altamira. After moving close enough to see the city from the beach, Bowser had split from the group and sat by some rocks to relax. The Explorers continued onward. Their first stop was the hotel near the entrance. The hotel was a surprisingly modern building, with a skyscraper-like design of mortar, metal, and glass. It was still far smaller than one, being only about ten stories high at most. The interior had artificial ponds and waterfalls created from rocks to give a pleasant, natural appearance.

Altamira was a beautiful city with everything a vacationing Aselian could want in a resort town. The city was surrounded by beautiful beaches with cabanas and palm trees. Numerous people frolicked in swimsuits, shorts, and T-shirts. Deeper in the city was a large amusement park with a Ferris wheel and other rides for children. There was also a casino deeper in the city, just across from a series of stands for theatre and busker acts.

Lana spoke with reception and arranged rooms for them to stay while they conducted business. After finishing her preparations, she turned to the others. "I'm going to get Bowser dinner. I don't want him to feel left out," said Lana.

"Okay, we'll split up and explore the city," said Sonia.

Lana travelled to the upper floors of the hotel via an elevator at the back. She walked into an area with a variety of shops and restaurants along the walls. She bought some souvenir photos of the city's attractions and a variety of dishes from the local restaurants. She left the hotel and made her way to the beach, where Bowser sat on a rock waiting for someone from the team to come back. He had already set up a large tent as a shelter for when he wanted to retire for the night.

By the time Lana had arrived at the beach, the sun was starting to set. Lana set up a makeshift table out of a tray and a rock, where she served Bowser his meal. Together, they ate a delicious meal of roast chicken, vegetables, and rice. "Mmm, this is delicious!" remarked Bowser as he chomped on his meal.

Lana swallowed her current morsel of chicken and rice before trying to speak. "Mmm, it's pretty good, but it can't beat our cook."

After their meal, Lana set up some communications equipment to speak with the others. On the monitor appeared Kevin, Sonia, and Abel. According to Sonia, the current time was between the two Tales of Symphonia games. After Aselia's reunification, Tethe'alla made up the western part of Aselia while Sylvarant made the east. There was a lot of distrust and animosity between the two sides. In particular, the Sylvaranti had suffered great discrimination and mistreatment from the more modernized Tethe'allans.

As a result, disgruntled Sylvaranti formed the Vanguard as a united front against Tethe'allan dominance. The two sides harassed each other constantly. The Vanguard engaged in acts of defiance such as boycotts, demonstrations, and even riots. In turn, the Church of Martel, which was dominated by and represented the Tethe'allans, would often respond with crackdowns and other shows of force. The situation was worsening as the months went by. Eventually, it would come to a head in sequel, Dawn of the New World.

"Whoa, what kind of powder keg did we wind up in?" asked Kevin.

"Yeah, this is a difficult and dangerous time," said Sonia.

"I don't want to get involved with their bickering. It would do us no good," said Abel.

"I agree," said Lana. "The last thing I want is for House Power to get bogged down by a feud."

"We should approach a moderate," said Abel. "Is there anyone who fits?"

"How about Regal Bryant? He's the Duke of Altamira and also the President of the Lezareno company, which owns much of the city," said Sonia. "Since this city is close to the Otherworldly Gate, it is under his jurisdiction."

"Okay, let me handle that part," said Lana. "In the meantime, keep gathering information on Aselia."

"Bowser, I'm going to deliver your meal tomorrow while Lana works out the details," said Sonia.

"Okay, I like stuff with meat so get me lots of it," said Bowser, giddy like a little boy.

"Sure, I know what you like," said Sonia.

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The next day, a motley duo, a swordsman in red and a ninja girl in violet, approached the city of Altamira on foot. The swordsman was a young man with spiky brown hair who was in his late teens. As a warrior who used a two-sword style, he carried a pair of swords sheathed at his side. His female friend was an attractive Japanese woman. Her violet tunic was opened at the chest so as to accentuate her buxom body. These two travellers, Lloyd Irving and Sheena Fujibayashi, had arrived to make a delivery for a friend.

They travelled through the city and boarded a tram to the front door of a large office building. This building was the headquarters of the Lezareno Company, owned by the noble Bryant family of Tethe'alla. The receptionist led Lloyd and Sheena to the elevator, which brought them up to the floor with Regal's office. "Hi Regal, we've got a delivery for you," said Lloyd upon meeting their friend, Regal.

Regal, a tall, muscular man with a chiseled look, was reading a document near a filing cabinet. The handsome man had long blue hair and was in his mid-thirties. He was dressed in a blue noble's jacket and white slacks. Regal looked up and turned around. "Ah, you've brought me new Exspheres?" he asked.

"Yep," replied Sheena. "We want to put them in Toize Valley Mine."

"Sure, I'll keep them in my safe for now," said Regal. He took the bag of Exspheres from Lloyd and bent down to operate the dial on a safe. After putting the bag inside, he locked the safe with a soft click sound. "Thank you very much. While you're here, why don't you stay at the hotel and enjoy the sights? I'll give you a free room for the night."

"That's great! Thanks Regal!" said Sheena.

As sunset came, Lezareno Headquarters started to empty as its workers left home for the night. Darkness set over Altamira and its night life started up. Even in the dark hours, the festivities continued. A luau started at the beach, with music, dancing, and pork being roasted over a fire. The bars and restaurants were filled to the brim with people drinking and chatting the night away. The casino was packed tight with tourists playing the slot machines and poker and blackjack at the tables.

In the midst of these festivities, a pair of repairmen approached Lezareno Headquarters. They were men in blue jumpsuits who carried toolboxes with them into the building. They were stopped by the security guard at the door. The guard took and examined their IDs as the men signed a ledger. Everything had checked out, so the guard let them in. The men went up the elevator to Regal's office, closing the door behind them.

They put Regal's safe on its back, such that the door was situated on top and its contents on the bottom. They donned welding masks and lit a mana-based blow torch they had carried within their toolboxes. Holding the safe at an angle, the flame turned the hinges into a molten metal goo that dripped onto the ground. They threw away the door and quickly pocketed the bag of Expheres and some folded documents. As they left, a wandering guard passed by the area and saw the men leaving Regal's office.

He looked inside and noticed the opened safe. "Hey you, stop!" cried the guard.

The repair men, or thieves, made a run for it. The guard called for back up on his radio while giving chase. The thieves turned a corner and descended a stairwell. After bursting into the front lobby, they hopped into the tram and took it across the water. The tram-driving thief stopped by the amusement park, where his partner bolted out. The guards, men in plated armour, were in the tram just behind his. The remaining thief took the tram back to the beach entrance.

As he reached the area before the hotel, he saw more guards approaching down the street which led to the beach. He went the only other way he could go, into the hotel. The thief burst into the lobby and dashed into the opening elevator. He quickly hit a random button, which took him to the floor with the restaurants and shops. The area was packed with patrons and people eating dinner at the tables. The thief ran into the crowd, as guards exited the elevator.

The guards looked around. "He's over there!" cried one of the guards, pointing in the thief's direction.

The thief quickly looked for a way out and saw a bespectacled blonde woman in a hooded white robe. This woman was in her forties and was in line at a takeout restaurant, waiting to order a meal. He quickly grabbed the woman from behind and put a knife near her throat. The guards approached, keeping other people at bay. "Don't come any closer or the lady gets it!" cried the fugitive in desperation. "I swear I'll do it!"

The guards, unable to act due to his hostage, kept their distance as the thief slowly circled the room with his back to a wall. "Mom!" cried Kevin as he fought his way through the crowd. The guards held him back, the same thing they did to Lloyd and Sheena as they approached.

"Kevin!" cried Sonia.

"Shut up and keep moving!" said the crook, dragging Sonia to the elevator. When it opened, the crook took it to the ground floor and slowly fled the building with Sonia in tow. He eventually left the hotel and moved to the nearest dock on the beach, where several of his buddies were waiting in a boat. The crook boarded with Sonia in tow and sped away.

Back at the street, Kevin could only watch helplessly as the crook sped away with his mother. "Arrggh," Kevin growled in rage.

Lloyd and Sheena approached Kevin. "Were you hurt?" asked Sheena.

"No, I'm fine," replied Kevin. "I'd feel better if my mom was here."

At that moment, Regal entered the scene with a retinue of guards. His clothing was very dishevelled. He seemed to have just gotten out of bed. He approached Kevin, Lloyd, and Sheena to ask them about the hostage situation. Each of them told Regal everything that had happened. Lana entered the scene, seeing the mass of people and guards gathered around the hotel. "Kevin!" said Lana, running up and hugging him.

"Lana, am I glad to see you. A knife-wielding maniac just took my mom hostage and ran away in a boat," said Kevin.

"Oh no!" remarked Lana. "I was going to meet Duke Bryant tomorrow... With her kidnapped, what do we do now?"

"Excuse me, did you say you were meeting Duke Bryant tomorrow?" asked Regal who had overhead Lana's words to Kevin.

"Yeah, I was supposed to meet him tomorrow. This kidnapping couldn't have come at a worse time," replied Lana.

"You're in luck. I happen to be Duke Bryant. Please call me Regal," said the man, extending his hand to shake Lana's. "You're Princess Lana Power, correct?"

"Yes," replied Lana.

"...And the kidnapped woman was part of your escort, right?" asked Regal.

"Yes," replied Lana. "Her name is Sonia Keene. She, along with Kevin here, are some of my escorts."

"Although I'd rather conduct diplomacy under better circumstances, this situation leaves me no choice," said Regal. "From what my men have told me, the kidnapper appears to be a member of the Vanguard. He and an accomplice had broken into my safe and stole valuables and confidential documents."

Lloyd backed out and turned to Sheena. "Valuables?" asked Lloyd.

"He means the Exspheres we gave to Regal," replied Sheena.

"Oh, that's just swell!" said Lloyd.

"My documents include a map of the Toize Valley Mine, where we dispose of Exspheres. I'm certain the Vanguard intends to steal Exspheres from my mine. If we can catch them in the act, we can interrogate them for information as to Sonia's whereabouts."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan," replied Lana.

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During the rest of the night and early the next day, the alliance of the Explorers and Regal's friends made preparations to travel to the mine. They purchased medicine, rations, and camping equipment from the stores in the hotel. Along the way, they dropped by Bowser's camp to retrieve him. "Is that a monster?" asked Lloyd upon seeing the massive Koopa King.

"I have a name," said Bowser. "It's Bowser, King of the Koopas. Don't you forget it!"

Abel created the blue, spade-like sigil of Bel on the ground. His demonic servant, Yog-Sothoth, arose from the sigil at his side. "Finally, the Yog has come back to Aselia!" said Yog-Sothoth.

"What's that?" asked Sheena. "A monster?"

"A demon," replied Abel. "He will fly us to the mine."

"So you're a summoner, like me," remarked Sheena.

Yog-Sothoth pulled the entire team into one of the numerous orbs which made up his body. He proceeded to fly the group over the land, to the southeast under Regal's directions. As they travelled to the mine in Yog, the team started to talk to pass the time. "So Lana, tell me about yourself. You're a princess, right?" asked Lloyd.

"Yeah," replied Lana. "I'm Princess Lana of House Power. My father rules over Videoland's main warp zone from our palace above. Each of my friends comes from a different world."

"Yep," said Kevin. "In my world, people like you, Regal, and Bowser are characters from video games. Each world beyond a warp is a game world."

"We're just characters in a game to you?" asked Lloyd.

"Yeah, a game called 'Tales of Symphonia.' I haven't played it yet, but my mom is a big fan of that game," replied Kevin.

"That's... weird..." said Sheena. "Are Lana and Abel game characters too?"

"I'm pretty sure they are," replied Kevin. "I don't know which games Lana and Abel are from, but Bowser is from the 'Super Mario Brothers' games. He's usually the villain though."

"I'm only helping because the Koopas are friends of the Powers," said Bowser.

"He doesn't seem that bad to me," said Abel. "Bowser has helped Lana so much in her journeys."

After a few more minutes of travel, Yog released his passengers at the forested entrance of a mine. The mine itself led deep into the heart of the Toize Mountain range. It was here that inhibitor ore had been mined for use as mounts for Exspheres. It was fitting that this would be the place where the Exspheres would be sealed away. The machinery once used in the mine was still present, from winches to an elevator down to the pit below. The Vanguard had not arrived yet, so Regal's team took up hidden positions in and around the mine to wait for them.

After an hour of hiding, Scarlet spotted half a dozen people moving through the forest towards the mine entrance below. Since she had an invisibility spell around her, they did not notice her. "Abel darling, we've got some goons coming into the mine," she told Abel telepathically.

"Places people, get ready to spring the trap," said Abel.

After the men entered, they made their way to the elevator and descended into the pit area. There, they found a set of railway tracks with a mine cart that led to a sealed wall. According to their map, there was an Exsphere motherlode hidden right behind that wall. They needed some way to blow open the wall, but fortunately, they had brought a special gold ring for just this purpose. It was a Sorcerer's Ring, which shot fire, but could be altered to cast different spells. They were normally used for navigation.

Before they could do anything more, Sheena, Lloyd, and Regal blocked their rear. "Not so fast," said Lloyd, drawing his weapons.

"The Lezareno Company does not take kindly to theft of its property," said Regal.

The Vanguard turned around and saw the three. They also noticed Kevin and Lana at the edges above at their flanks. They had guns trained on them. Bowser was standing in front of the elevator at the bottom. He was so large that he completely blocked the width of the entrance. Abel was waiting by the top of the elevator with Yog-Sothoth, Scarlet, and the cat-like samurai, Mao. Seeing no way to escape, the Vanguard raised their hands to surrender. Regal's party quickly bound the Vanguard in ropes.

"Where have you taken Sonia?" Lloyd asked one of the prisoners.

"Bite me!" said the man in response.

"I have a way with men. Let me talk to them," said Scarlet. "So, tell me darling, where can I find your base? Where do you keep your prisoners?" Her eyes started to glow a soft pink colour as she gazed deeply into one of the man's eyes.

The Vanguard's eyes glazed over, as he fell into a deep trance. He was wide awake, yet not aware at the same time. "We have a camp in the north part of the Toize mountain range. Our prisoners are kept in cages by the base of the mountain," he replied monotonously.

"Wonderful, I think I'll pay a visit," said Scarlet.

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Regal's party led the Vanguard prisoners outside, where they sat them by the mine entrance. "My men are coming to take the Vanguard into custody. I'm remaining behind to meet them," said Regal.

"Okay," replied Sheena. "Lloyd and I are going on ahead to rescue Sonia with the others."

Lana's party continued on northward, following the Toize Mountains in Yog. A half hour later, they soon spotted several wooden structures in a cleared area by the base of the mountains southeast of the Otherworldly Gate. From their shape and appearance, they were log cabins built from cut trees from the local forest. Yog descended a distance west from the camp, allowing them a stealthy approach by foot. Sheena and Scarlet split up to case the camp, making note of patrol routes as well as points of interest.

Sonia was at the southern part of the camp, locked in one of the cages as the Vanguard had divulged. The north side of the camp had a pair of lookout towers, each staffed by a single guard. On the ground, some men had entered a large rectangular cabin. Judging from its elongated shape, it was likely a barracks. In the window of another cabin, they could see a man looking over documents, possibly orders from higher in the chain of command.

Kevin detailed a plan to reach his mother and the group set it in motion. Lana, Lloyd, and Sheena sneaked their way around to the other side of the camp. Along the way, they took cover behind foliage to avoid being spotted by patrols and lookouts. They hid behind a set of bushes where they spotted Sonia ahead. "We're in position," Lana said over the radio.

"Okay," said Kevin. "Let's make some noise!"

Kevin took position behind a tall bush and noted the positions of each tower's lookout. He readied the Super Scope, moved the crosshairs over the closest one, and shot him in the chest. The guard stumbled back and flipped over the edge. Kevin quickly realigned his crosshairs on another guard and shot him down. A nearby guard below saw the dead lookouts tumble to the ground and immediately ran to a bell. Kevin picked him off, but another guard had rushed for the bell and sounded the alarm.

"You guys cost me a dinner!" cried Bowser as he stormed into the camp.

He spit multiple balls of flame. They struck the outermost buildings and set them on fire. Several men scrambled outside to escape. As they ran out, Kevin shot the second who exited. The man crashed to the ground in a heap, terrifying the others into scrambling for cover. Yog approached the camp and lashed a tentacle at one of the men. He wound it around the man's body and hurled him into another. Yog then fired three clusters of orbs, an Aforgomon attack, at the Vanguard.

One cluster hit a female mage and formed into a humanoid shape. Despite trying to escape, Aforgomon grabbed her and turned her front side to Kevin. Kevin shot her through the heart and his energy beam pierced through and destroyed Aforgomon. The remaining Vanguard scrambled for cover, trying to avoid Kevin's sight. Mages from within and around the cabins started firing randomly to the west. They were aware of Kevin's general direction, but had not seen him directly.

An Eruption spell burst from the ground some distance away, spewing fire into the air. Kevin dove to the ground and attempted to crawl away, staying behind bushes to avoid being spotted. Vanguard soldiers ran in from the east, trying to locate and flank Kevin while he was still pinned down by magical explosions. Abel teleported within sight of the soldiers, who immediately turned to attack him. Abel waved and caused a swirling blizzard to wash over the Vanguard. The ice pellets pounded the soldiers and felled them.

Lana's team snuck in from the east, as all of the Vanguard diverted their attention to stopping the others' attack. Lloyd chopped the padlock off Sonia's cage and yanked the door open. "Are you okay, Sonia?" asked Lana.

"Yeah I'm fine, where's Kevin?" she asked.

"He's with Abel and Bowser. They're creating a distraction," replied Lana.

"Hey, are you Lloyd Irving and Sheena Fujibayashi?" asked Sonia.

"Yeah," replied Sheena.

"Ooh, nice to see you two together like that," remarked Sonia with a chuckle.

Sheena turned beet red. "It's not like that!" she said.

"We'll talk later. We have to get away before they realize you've escaped," said Lana. "We're meeting them to the northeast."

Both of Lana and Kevin's groups retreated in that direction, to the deeper woods away from the Vanguard base. The two groups eventually reunited when they were a safe distance away. Kevin gave a hug to his mother and held it for several seconds. Neither of them said anything more, for words were not necessary. They returned to Altamira, reuniting with Regal at his office. Regal handed Sheena a letter from the King of Tethe'alla, which she read away from the others.

In the meantime, Regal spoke with his other guests. "I'm glad that you two were able to reunite," said Regal.

"Yeah, it was thanks to you," said Kevin. "I owe you so much."

"It was nothing," said Regal. "Lana, I hope you won't think ill of our world after this. If you're still willing, the King of Tethe'alla and I would be glad to open relations between our nations. We are willing to expand our relations into an alliance down the line."

"Of course, you can't be blamed for the actions of the Vanguard," said Lana. "I hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

"I also have an announcement," said Sheena. "I'd like to travel with you if it's possible."

"Travel? With us?" asked Abel.

"Yes, its by order of the King of Tethe'alla and acting Chief Tiga of my village. They want me to gather information about the worlds of Videoland," replied Sheena.

"We don't mind," said Lana. "I'm sure my father would appreciate you being on the team."

"Are you okay with this too, Lloyd?" asked Sheena.

"Of course, do what you need to do. I'll just ask Colette or Zelos to join me," said Lloyd. "Good luck."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	5. Exp 5 - Lana's Little Friends

Disclaimer:  
Captain N was produced by Nintendo and DIC Entertainment. Pikmin was produced by Nintendo.

**New Captain N: Warp Zone  
By: RB3  
Explorers of Videoland 5: Lana's Little Friends**

Lana led their newest ally, Sheena Fujibayashi, through the halls of Power Palace, which was vastly larger than the palace of Meltokio. She had seen dozens of servants along the way, each of them cleaning or dusting something. There were suits of ornamental armour on display ranging from medieval style to a modern style worn by mannequins. Some halls had paintings of vistas of mountains. Others had statues of philosophers and also artistic nudes.

"Here's your room, Sheena," informed Lana, as they approached a wooden door.

Upon entry, Sheena glanced over every inch of her quarters. Her quarters was as large, perhaps larger, than the entire Igaguri Dojo back in Mizuho. It had multiple rooms, one for sleeping, another for bathing, and a den for recreation among others. "Wow, is this all for me?" asked Sheena.

"Yep, we treat all our guests like royalty in Power Palace," replied Lana. "If you want food, you can get it at the dining room in the north side at the ground floor."

"Is there anywhere I can go to practise my skills?" asked Sheena.

"The 50th floor has all of the palace's training and recreational facilities," replied Lana. "We have special machines that can generate holographic opponents and environments for training and recreation."

"Really? That's great!" said Sheena. "I can't wait to try them out."

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A day passed by without event, other than Bowser's Koopas coming in to reinforce Power Palace. They were a squad of a dozen Hammer Brothers, Koopas with green shells, matching helmets, and hammers. A second twelve Koopa squad of Boomerang Brothers, blue versions of the Hammer Brothers armed with boomerangs, filed in through the warp. At the very rear came a third twelve Koopa squad of red Fire Brothers. The Hammer Brother commander presented a set of forms to the commander of a group of palace guards.

The guard commander flipped through the papers to look them over. "Everything seems in order. His Majesty King Bowser has his quarters on the 60th floor. You may use the elevator to reach them."

In the meantime, Lana made her way to the palace throne room to hear a briefing by her father and Lyle. Abel, Sheena, Kevin, and Sonia were already there, waiting for the meeting to start. Conspicuously absent was Bowser. "Where's Bowser?" Lana asked.

"He had to bow out to receive our Koopa reinforcements," said Lyle.

"Fill him in as you head out to the warp. We're starting the briefing," said Charles. "Lyle had informed me that a new warp had opened the night before. This warp leads to the Pikmin Planet. It was once inhabited by giants, but they had gone extinct. Now, it is inhabited by insects and plant-like creatures called 'Pikmin.'"

"Oh! I love Pikmin. They're so adorable!" said Sonia.

"They're really loyal and friendly too. When Olimar needed help with his ship, the Pikmin came to the rescue," said Kevin.

"Do you believe they could help us?" asked Lana.

"Of course," replied Kevin. "If we can get some Pikmin Onions, we can take them with us to other places. I don't know if they'll make good fighters, but they can haul equipment for us."

"That would still be useful, so go ahead and get some Onions," said Charles. "Don't forget to explore that world."

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The Explorers emerged from the warp in a cavern somewhere on the Pikmin Planet. The Royal Guard were already on the scene, patrolling the camp diligently for intruders. A network of lights ran along the walls of the cave and illuminated the cement walls and dusty dirt ground of the environment. The cavern had a single entrance which led to the wilderness on its west side. The north side led deeper into the cavern and was mostly unexplored territory.

Outside, the Royal Guard had used chain-link fences to enclose a small compound in front of the cave entrance. The fence had barbed wire running along its top and had manned guard towers at the corners opposite the cave entrance. A prominent tent was at the centre, which housed the captain of the Royal Guard. In addition to the Royal Guard, there were some of Bowser's Koopas among the guards, as well as various demons from the Realm of Bel.

Lana's group entered the guard captain's tent and were greeted by a rugged man with greying black hair. "Greetings, your Majesty," said the guard captain.

"Hello Michael," said Lana. "We're going to start our scouting mission now."

"Of course. Good luck, and stay safe," said Michael.

The Explorers left the camp. As they reached a distance away, Kevin looked back at where they had come from. The cave and the stony structure which housed it was actually part of a large building of unknown purpose. The cave entrance was actually a mouse hole, when compared to the rest of the building. Due to their small size compared to the building, they were like rats infesting the nooks and crannies of the premises.

The wilderness seemed to be the garden or lawn of the building. Blades of grass extended upwards from the dirt, high into the air like a forest. Even the flowers were gigantic, like towers in the midst of the forest of grass. The group travelled this strange environment for about an hour until they came across an insect-like creature wandering through the grass. This creature had a red body with white spots similar to a lady bug. It's face was round and took up much of its body. It had eye stalks like a snail and a mouth large enough to swallow a person whole.

The creature waddled forward, unaware of the Explorers. Its taloned feet seemed so small, yet were somehow able to keep the creature upright. "What is that thing?" asked Lana.

"It's a Red Bulborb," replied Sonia. "They are one of the chief predators of Pikmin."

The Bulborb suddenly sniffed the air and turned around. It began to waddle towards the team. "I don't think it's coming to greet us," remarked Sheena.

"It must think we're lunch!" said Kevin, reaching for his Zapper.

"Lunch? He looks like barbecue to me," said Bowser, breathing a jet of fire upon it.

The Bulborb caught on fire and flailed around in agony. Kevin fired a shot which pierced through the Bulborb's chest fatally. The Bulborb collapsed to the ground, with the flames still burning its carcass. Abel conjured rain above, putting out the fire to prevent their spread. "That was pretty easy," remarked Lana.

"They may be big, but they're wimps," said Kevin.

Sheena heard what sounded like diminutive screaming coming from further ahead in the grass forest. "Did you hear that?"

Kevin listened and heard the very same sound. "Yeah, let's take a look."

The Explorers raced forward until they came into a clearing within a rock formation. At the centre was a circular dirt area with a strange red structure at its centre. This structure was a dome-like bulb which stood on a tripod and had a daisy-like propeller on its top. The tripod legs were built like staircases to allow access to the centre. This object was a Pikmin Onion, essentially a home and transport for Pikmin. More specifically, it was a Red Onion, which housed Red Pikmin and their seeds.

These Red Pikmin were plant-like creatures who resembled toddlers. They had a pointed nose and a plant stem with a green leaf growing from their heads. A Bulborb chased a group of these creatures in circles. One of the Pikmin in the rear slipped and fell onto its face, becoming separated from the pack. The straggler rolled to his back just in time to see the Bulborb bear down on him, ready to eat him.

"I'll save you!" cried Lana, who drew her Zapper and shot the Bulborb.

The Bulborb froze as the energy beam pierced its side. The straggler got to its feet and ran to the others in the group. Lana fired again, scoring a shot to the head. The Bulborb collapsed in a heap. All of the Pikmin immediately rushed up to Lana and stood before her. Their faces beamed with joy. "I think they like you," remarked Abel.

"Lana, why don't you try whistling," said Kevin. Lana put her fingers into her mouth and blew into them. The Pikmin immediately perked up and rushed to her front, as though standing at attention and waiting for her orders. "Good, send them at the body of the Bulborb."

"Okay Pikmin, move the body of that Bulborb," said Lana, pointing to it.

The Pikmin immediately crowded around the dead Bulborb. Like ants, they carried the carcass to the space beneath their nest and dropped it. A spotlight shined from the bottom of the nest, sucking the body inside like a tractor beam. Through some unknown method, the Onion processed the body and spit out some Pikmin seeds which bored into the ground nearby. The seeds sprouted almost instantly, giving birth to a new generation of Pikmin.

"Go ahead. Pluck them out," said Kevin.

Lana pulled at the stem of the nearest one and out popped a Red Pikmin, which joined the others. "I see," said Lana. "If I can bring it food, the nest can pump out new Pikmin for my army."

"Now you're getting the hang of it," said Kevin. "They are other types of Pikmin too, like Yellows and Blues. The Reds are immune to fire and are good fighters. The Blues can swim. The Yellows are immune to electricity and can be thrown further."

"Okay little guys, back to your nest," said Lana. "We're going back to base."

The Pikmin dutifully marched into their Onion single-file. The daisy propeller started spinning and the Onion retracted its tripod legs and lifted off. It followed the Explorers back to their camp and slowly descended onto an empty spot within the compound and extended its tripod legs. The Pikmin quickly rushed out and stood next to Lana. "Okay, now that we've got the Red Pikmin, we should find the Blue and Yellow ones too," said Kevin.

"Where can we find them?" asked Lana.

"Blue ones usually hang out in places near water," said Kevin.

"Water?" asked Abel. "I sense a small pond just to the south of the camp."

"It's worth a look," said Lana.

The Explorers followed Abel's directions south to the pond. They had passed through large stretches of the grassy forest and soon came upon that pond, which would be a mere rain puddle back home. As Kevin suggested, there was a second Pikmin Onion near the water, this one blue in colour. The Blue Pikmin were trying to fight off a series of predators who emerged from the water to devour them. Kevin and Sonia recognized the predators as Water Dumples.

These grub-like creatures resembled blue, eyeless catfish which used their rear tentacles to propel themselves through water like squids or octopi. One of the Blue Pikmin fled to dry land, but it provided no refuge. Water Dumples were amphibious and it simply crawled onto land to continue pursuit. The two sides exchanged blows, with a group of Blues mobbing and punching one. Another Dumple tackled a Blue and swallowed it.

Lana focused on one of the Blues being chased by another Dumple. She sicced her Reds upon the pursuer. They descended like an angry mob with some leaping onto the Dumple's back. They pummelled the Dumple into the ground. Lana saw another Dumple and fired a shot through its body, killing it instantly. Bowser leapt high into the air and slammed the ground between three Water Dumples. A shockwave erupted from his feet, bowling over the three.

Abel summoned his demons and ran at one of the Dumples, who had just eaten a Blue. Abel sprayed ice, encrusting it within a crystalline shell. Scarlet suddenly appeared from behind and jetted fire through its body fatally. Abel sprayed more ice, which spread into a cloud over a cluster of Dumples. All of them were encrusted in shells of ice. Yog opened violet portals beneath each Dumple, which unleashed a pillar of golden light. Each of the Dumples were banished from this plane of existence.

The Dumple ranks dwindled until only one remained. The Blue Pikmin mobbed this final Dumple and pummelled it to the ground. Lana whistled at the Blues, who immediately perked up and came to her side. "I love these guys, they're so cute and loyal!" said Lana.

After having the Blue Pikmin harvest the Dumple carcasses, she sent the Blues back into their Onion. The Onion took off and followed the team back as they returned to camp. The Blue Onion set down a distance from the Red Onion and released its Pikmin to Lana's command. "The only ones we haven't found yet are the Yellows," said Sonia. "Where might they be?"

"Yellow Pikmin can use their ears to glide through the air. They like being in higher places because of that," replied Kevin.

"So, we look for them in the grass tops?" asked Lana.

"Yeah, and hilltops too," replied Kevin.

"Okay, I'm heading out to look for them," said Sheena.

"I'll send my demons out for aerial recon too," said Abel, who summoned Yog and Scarlet to his side. The demons ascended to the sky and flew different directions.

After a few minutes of scouting, Sheena found a group of Yellow Pikmin standing by the edge of a cliff to the east of the camp. They were looking down at a pit in the ground. Their Onion was at the bottom, partially buried beneath a pile of dirt. It appeared that the ground had given out beneath their Onion, resulting in the Yellows' current predicament. Sheena contacted the others through radio. Within minutes, her teammates were on the scene to respond to her call.

Lana approached the Yellows near the cliff with her Reds and Blues in tow. The Yellows chirped words at Lana's Pikmin, apparently telling them what had happened. In turn, her Pikmin chirped assurances to the Yellows that they would help if they joined them. Lana whistled the Yellows, who joined the ranks of Lana's growing Pikmin army. Now that the Yellows were on the team, there was only the matter of freeing their Onion and taking it back to base.

Abel teleported to the Onion's front and took in the entire scene. "It's not too much dirt. It shouldn't take too long to dig it out," said Abel.

Sheena dropped down to the pit and approached the Onion. "I'll have Gnome take care of it," she said.

Sheena held an ofuda before her as she chanted a spell. A small hole opened in the ground and out popped a mole-like creature who had a red bow on the back of his head. Gnome carried a shovel in his hand. "Okay Sheena, what do you need me to do?" asked Gnome.

"Could you free that Pikmin Onion from the landslide?" asked Sheena.

"Of course, no sweat!" said Gnome, who waved his shovel at the dirt. The dirt sank into the ground, as though swallowed by the very ground. When freed, the Onion fired its thruster and turned upright onto its tripod legs. "All done! See ya later!" said Gnome, before sinking into his hole and closing it behind him.

Lana sent the Yellow Pikmin back into their Onion. The Yellow Onion retracted its legs and fired its thrusters and propeller. It followed the group back to their camp, where it landed some distance from the other two Onions. As soon as Lana entered the camp, she was greeted by Michael. "Your Majesty, we have some bad news. One of our scouting teams had failed to report in after exploring deeper into the hole."

"Where were they last heard?" asked Lana.

"They reported entering a shower drain on the first floor of the building," said Michael.

"This couldn't happen at a worse time," said Kevin. "The sun's starting to set. Numerous predators will come out looking for dinner and our camp is tonight's special."

"We can't abandon our men either," said Lana. "We have to save them."

"Leave that to us," said Kevin. "Mom, please stay back and support Lana. The rest of us will handle the rescue."

"Okay, but don't take too long," said Lana.

"We won't. Those men will be home in no time," said Kevin.

The deeper portion of the mouse hole was filled with cobwebs and dust covering the ground. Above, water flowed through pipes to other parts of the house. There were also wires further above which channelled electricity throughout the building. Being this deep in the mouse hole, there was no outside light for the team. Only the light from Abel's magic and the rest of the team's flashlights enabled them to see in the dark. They found another mouse hole and entered an area with a floor covered by blue tiles.

Above was the bottom of a sink and still higher and further in was an inactive light fixture on the roof. Ahead was the opening of a shower stall, which had a white curtain folded up near the right. The shower was quite dry, having not seen use for months. At the centre of the stall's cement floor was a single drain for the water. The circular grating had a bar missing from it, with molten metal at the ends. Judging from its appearance, the bar had been melted off.

"They must have went down here," said Kevin. "Let's hurry."

Kevin's team navigated a veritable maze of pipes leading through the building to the municipal drainage system. Though the pipes were long and stretched for what seemed like miles, they were fortunate to have Yog available to ferry them for the bulk of the trip. They soon came to an area where the pipes had rusted open into underground soil. The area was cavernous and quite humid from the water which had leaked into a small puddle.

Sheena noticed a humanoid creature seated on the ground, propped against the wall. This creature was green skinned, had red hair, and a pointed nose with warts on it. "That might be one of our scouts!" said Sheena, pointing out that creature.

"Yes, that's one of my trolls," said Abel. "Yog, take us down there!"

Yog released the team near the troll, who on closer inspection, appeared to be bruised and bloodied. "Lord Abel," said the troll.

"Don't strain yourself. Just tell me, what happened? Who did this to you?" asked Abel.

"It was the ghost," replied the troll. "None of our attacks worked."

"What did it look like?" asked Kevin. The troll described a ghost-like creature made of water which travelled on a pair of rollers like it was riding on an ATV. "Sounds like a Waterwraith."

"A Waterwraith?" asked Sheena.

"Yes, it's a ghost made of water which haunts drainage pipes. It's main body is phased out of the physical world, so most attacks can't hit it," said Kevin.

"So how do we take it out if we can't hit it?" asked Bowser.

"A sudden shock of some kind can frighten it into becoming physical," replied Kevin.

"Like if I slammed the ground hard?" asked Bowser.

"Yep," replied Kevin. "You can also freeze it for awhile, but you still need to scare it before you can hurt it. I think Abel and Sheena might have abilities which can still hit it even when it's not physical."

"Yes, my talismans can bind spirits and cause them to become solid," replied Sheena.

"My demons and I can strike targets phased out of the physical plane," said Abel. "I also have spells that can force it into the physical realm."

"Good... I think we might get by with just freezing it, but it's always good to have a back up," said Kevin.

Abel applied a basic healing spell upon the troll, sealing the most grievous wounds in an aura of white light. "Yog, we're taking the troll for safety," said Abel.

Yog drew in the wounded troll and the rest of the team and continued ahead through the pipe system. It wasn't long before they heard moaning growls travelling through the pipes. A roaring sound, like an intense flame, echoed from further ahead. A fireball sped across an opening. The moaning growls intensified as the Waterwraith passed by in pursuit of its attacker. Yog immediately turned the corner ahead, putting himself straight on the tail of the Waterwraith.

The watery ghost was in pursuit of a red Koopa, a Fire Brother. He was one of Bowser's soldiers who specialized in hurling fireballs at enemies like Mario. His attacks were having no effect on the Waterwraith, not even to stall it. The Koopa had no alternative but to run and pray that he could elude the ghost. Abel teleported outside of the orb and blasted the ghost with ice. A freezing cloud erupted from contact, chilling the nearby air while encasing the Waterwraith in solid ice.

Yog shot out one of his orbs, sucking in the beleaguered Koopa. Abel teleported back into the orb. "Are you okay?" asked Abel.

"Yeah," said the Fire Brother, he looked at his guests and saw Bowser. "King Koopa?"

"That's me. Where are the others?" asked Bowser.

"They should be back the other way," replied the Fire Brother.

Yog retreated the other direction, leaving the Waterwraith frozen solid in the pipe. He continued down the pipes until he found another area which had rusted open and allowed access to an underground cavern. A quartet of House Power scouts were resting by the opening, staying out of sight of anyone who would pass by the pipe. Two of the scouts were Hammer Brothers while another was a pixie and the last was a human soldier from the Royal Guard.

Yog deposited Kevin at the entrance. "Hey!" cried Kevin as he approached the group. "We're here to get you out. Let's go!"

"It's the Game Master!" said the Royal Guardsman.

"We're saved!" said the pixie.

"Hurry! I don't know how long until that thing comes looking for us," said Kevin.

The scouts quickly entered Yog's orbs. When questioned, the scouts divulged that they had been attacked by the Waterwraith. The troll tried to attack it, but his attacks did no harm and he got run over. Fortunately, his regeneration allowed him to survive. The Waterwraith searched for the others, but the Fire Brother went out and acted as a distraction to lure it away to the give the others time to escape. The remaining members took refuge in the cavern to plan their next move when Kevin and the others showed up to rescue them.

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Back at the compound, the Royal Guard looked anxiously at the horizon. The sun had set and darkness began to cover the Pikmin Planet. Within the wilderness and burrows, Pikmin predators such as Bulborbs began to emerge from hiding. Drawn to the scent of Pikmin and the Royal Guard, they began to advance on the camp in mass numbers. The watchtowers sounded the alarm when the first Bulborbs were spotted in the horizon.

As the klaxon blared, Royal Guardsmen, demons, and Koopas scrambled for their posts. The watchtowers pelted the Bulborbs with gunfire. Their shots mowed down the first line, but half a dozen new Bulborbs replaced them. As the predators started to come in range, demons and Koopas also began to attack them. A Hammer Brother hurled his weapon at the face of a Bulborb, stunning it momentarily. A hail of shots descended on the Bulborb and felled it. The Water Dumples behind it simply crawled over its body to continue their advance.

A trio of Legions advanced to meet the enemy head on. These demons resembled cancerous blobs of flesh with numerous grotesque faces and tendrils. They breathed Purple Smoke upon the Water Dumples. The puff of gas stopped many of them dead in their tracks. All of sudden, one of them pounced upon an incoming Bulborb. It started to bite the larger creature, who shook it off. The Bulborb turned to the Dumple and lunged to bite it. However, another pounced on the Bulborb, followed by a third.

Numerous such fights started to break out randomly among the enemy. Several other predators ran by, ignoring the infighting in the race for a Pikmin dinner. A Bulborb rammed into the fence, knocking it down. As it entered the compound, a Fire Brother spit fire at it. The Bulborb started to burn and flailed around in the throes of agony. A Hammer Brother hurled his hammer into its face. The Royal Guardsmen fired at the stunned Bulborb, felling it after a few well-placed shots.

The rush of predators started to decline. Countless numbers of them were strewn on the ground, killed in the frenzy to reach Lana's camp. That was when the biggest threat started to approach. A quintet of massive, spider-like creatures began to advance on the camp. These creature were far larger and consisted of a central orb with four legs growing out of it. "What are they?" asked Lana when she spotted one in the distance.

"Beady Long Legs!" said Sonia.

The watchtowers fired at the Beady Long Legs, but the creature ignored the shots to advance. As the frontmost one approached the watchtower, the Royal Guardsman within jumped out. The Beady Long Legs simply walked into the tower, knocking it over through sheer momentum. It continued forward, knocking down another portion of the chain-like fence with its steps. Lana fired at the Beady Long Legs, but her shots only served to stagger the creature momentarily.

Sonia slammed the spider with Smite spells, but like Lana's shots, they only slowed the creature momentarily. "Our attacks aren't stopping it," said Lana.

"No, we to hit it faster. Throw Yellow Pikmin onto its body," said Sonia.

"That thing's too high. There's no way they'll reach it," said Lana.

The Beady Long Legs tried to stomp them with its legs, but the two women fled in opposite directions. When the Beady Long Legs tired, Sonia pelted the spider with Smites. Lana moved closer to her, firing her pistol as cover. "I'm going to cast Dominate Mind. Get ready!" said Sonia.

Sonia prepared this dark spell by gathering the shadows in her hands. Upon finishing, Sonia's consciousness entered the Beady Long Legs. She was in full control of its movements and caused it to kneel down and leave itself vulnerable. Lana immediately hurled all of the Pikmin in her entourage. Though small and weak, the Pikmin were numerous and pummelled the spider to no end. Though the spider's pain ejected Sonia, the Beady Long Legs had accumulated so much damage that it keeled over dead.

"Awesome!" said Lana.

A second Beady Long Legs entered the compound, as though to replace its fallen brother. It tried to stomp the two women, but they scrambled to safety. A third Beady Long Legs approached the base, stepping over the debris left by the first. It joined the second in trying stomp Sonia, keeping them preoccupied and unable to fight back. Despite also taking fire from the base defence, the two spiders ignored those attacks and to pursue the two women.

The second spider stomped near Lana, crushing a dozen of her Pikmin in the process. Its footstep shook the ground, causing her to stumble and fall on her back. The spider raised its foot over Lana, preparing to crush her. Just then, a stream of ice pellets flew at the Bead Long Legs. An icy cloud burst from the impact site, freezing the Beady Long Legs solid. A flicker of white light surrounded Lana, after which she found she found herself staring up at Kevin and Yog.

Kevin fired a shot which pierced a hole all the way through the spider's body. The Beady Long Legs crumbled into a pile ice shards on the ground. "Kevin!" said Lana, seeing Kevin dematerialize his Super Scope.

"Lana, are you okay?" he asked, extending a hand.

"Yeah," replied Lana, taking Kevin's hand to receive help standing. "You came just in the nick of time."

Metres away, Sonia was fleeing from her spider when suddenly, the Beady Long Legs stopped in its tracks. She looked down at its legs and saw Bowser, grappling with the spider's rear left leg. The spider stumbled forward, trying to drag the Koopa King along with it. Sonia quickly conjured a number of shadowy tendrils from the ground. These Void Tendrils wrapped around the spider's legs, holding it in place.

Bowser saw the Void Tendrils and immediately hopped up to the Beady Long Legs' main body. He pummelled the orb repeatedly, causing his victim to buck around in an attempt to throw him off. Bowser landed an especially devastating blow, causing the Beady Long Legs to topple. Bowser hopped off and spewed a roaring gout of flame. The Beady Long Legs became engulfed in flame, thrashing about in agony. Bowser kept spewing fire until the creature was reduced to ash.

"Thank you Bowser. You're a lifesaver!" said Sonia.

"Anything for a buddy," said Bowser.

Abel reappeared just outside of the base, where Sheena descended just beside him. "I'm setting up them up," said Abel.

"Okay, ready when you are," replied Sheena.

Abel conjured a massive downpour of Black Rain upon the Beady Long Legs. The toxic, foul black droplets corroded minute holes into their bodies. They started wobble from nausea and weakness. In addition, the rain's chilling touch formed an ice coating to pin one of them in place. Scarlet suddenly appeared behind and toppled it with a blast of fire. Sheena hopped onto the body and planted five ofuda on it. She fled a safe distance and through a single gesture, caused them to explode violently.

Yog descended behind the last Beady Long Legs and fired a Hades Blast out of a spatial rift. The violet beam caused the spider to stumble backwards. Abel teleported nearby and froze a patch of ice beneath its foot. The spider stepped on it and slipped. Abel teleported closer to its orb and froze it to the ground with a blast of ice. Sheena descended upon it and planted five ofuda upon it. Sheena quickly fled and gestured to the ofuda, which exploded with violent force.

The members of the Explorers regrouped back at the camp, where Lana met with Michael, the chief of the Royal Guard. "Michael, it's time to retreat from this location."

"I understand your Majesty," replied Michael. "What will you do about the Pikmin?"

"I'm bringing them home with me," said Lana. "They'll be safer there."

**END OF CHAPTER**


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